I Like Chocolate Milk
by Dakk Tribal
Summary: Hope has always had trouble with romance, and he never thought he would ever like a girl and explain his feelings. Maybe that will change after a certain mishap while on a walk home...and all sorts of hell breaks loose! / Six months have passed, and Hope hasn't heard from Lightning but that soon changes as the pink-haired vixen suddenly re-enters his life and causes him problems!
1. Chapter 1

_Cursed for some and blessed for a few…_

Vanille jumped up and down excitedly as she waved to Hope, who was coming out of Social Studies room down the hall. He didn't appear to be too happy about something.

_I wonder what's wrong?_ Vanille thought as she began to walk down the soon-to-be crowed hallway.

Hope Estiem walked out of the classroom at Eden High very tired. His head was down low and he seemed out of it, and Vanille was met with silence when she offered a very heartfelt greeting.

"Hope? Are you okay?"

The fifteen year old looked up at his friend, who was a Junior, and shook his head, "Sorry Vanille, just stayed up late last night, studying for that test."

"You mean the one your dad wanted you to pass so you wouldn't fail the class?"

A simple nod gave her the answer. "I barely passed, but…"

"Oh, cheer up little Hope, things will look up once you're energized."

Hope ran a hand through his silver hair, wondering what Vanille was talking about. Lunch wasn't much of an appetizer and dinner was light years away. "What—"

Vanille grabbed him by his right hand, dragging him down the hall as Hope tried to keep a firm hold on his books to no avail as they started to fall on the floor.

After getting his stuff back in possession, Vanille was able to drag Hope to a vending machine in the lobby, beverages and candy bars galore in three of the large machines. However, there was a third machine that held more nutritional drinks like fruit juices and milks in plastic bottles.

That was Vanille's target, depositing some gil and pressing a button for a drink. Hope didn't see what she got, as his eyes were watching for anyone else. As students, he and Vanille were not allowed in the lobby during the school day, even if it was the last period. They could get in great trouble, but Vanille didn't seem to care either way.

Out popped a drink of some sorts, and Hope saw out of the corner of his eye that it was chocolate milk.

"Here."

Hope turned to Vanille, "You got me that?"

"A refresher. You more than need it after working so hard, Hope."

Taking the small brown bottle in his hand and opening it, the scent of liquid chocolate emitted from it and Hope had to smile. He could almost taste it already.

But he didn't feel like having it right now, "Mind if I take this later?"

Vanille smiled, "Sure, just try not to take it all in one sitting. Okay?"

Hope nodded, "Thanks."

An hour later, outside the school entrance, Vanille and Hope were walking out after the final period. Vanille was holding her school jacket over her shoulder while she held her handbag in her right hand. Hope had left everything in his locker, not really wanting to do any homework during the weekend, which he never did anyway.

Vanille was holding the milk bottle she had bought Hope earlier, and took a quick drink. Her tongue grew excited as her taste buds went crazy over the taste, "Mmmmm! Good!"

Hope wasn't even noticing, his mind was obviously preoccupied.

Vanille closed the bottle, turning her attention to Hope, "You're still bummed out? What in the name of the Maker is wrong now?"

"Sorry!" Hope shouted.

Vanille took a step back, silently wishing she hadn't asked.

Hope put his head down quickly apologizing, "I had trouble with other things."

"What do you mean? The test?"

"The book I read to prepare myself involved an old story—"

Almost immediately Vanille out her left hand on her hip, "You mean…"

"Yeah, it was a rather mushy story. At least to me it was."

"Hope, I know you've never had experience in that department, but don't burdened with something like that. You're still young and have time."

"Being in love was simple for you Vanille."

"Hell no it wasn't Hope, but I won't get into that right now. You just have to wait for that special someone to come to you."

"But—"

"If you're lucky, she'll literally walk into you and knock you on your butt."

Hope felt the conversation going nowhere, he started to walk away, uttering the words, "I'll see you later."

Vanille turned around to yell smiling, "You take a nap and call me later so we can talk more!"

Hope ran as far as he could and as fast as he could, desperately hoping that the words he had said left his mind permanently.

_Why in the hell can I not keep my big mouth shut?_

Romance wasn't one of his favorite subjects, even if it was fictional, he always felt uncomfortable whenever he had to work around that subject. Sure, he was fifteen and without a girlfriend, but it was the fact that he didn't have a girlfriend that he was also not too fond of talking about it.

Going around a corner, Hope was then knocked back, like he had run straight into a metal wall. He landed flat on his backside, and he had a major headache, he stood up frantically apologizing not knowing who or what he had run into. He slowed down long enough to look—

And wished that he hadn't.

On the ground was a girl. A girl with strawberry pink hair that was shoulder length, and in her lap was Hope's now empty milk can, with all the chocolate milk was all over the girl's uniform and some was even in her hair.

Panic struck the boy, silently cursing himself as he stood over the girl, "Dammit! I'm so sorry!"

Wiping a bit of milk that was about to fall from her eyebrow, she stood up, appearing to be nearly a foot or so taller than Hope. He gulped in nervousness.

"Watch where you're going—" she said as a drop fell from her chin to her chest, her white dress shirt had a large wet spot all along that, "Next time anyway."

"I will…" _That was simple…_ Hope gave a sigh of relief, but had a suspicion that that was way too easy.

The boy held his head down in shame, walking past her and trying not to look at her.

The run home was quick for Hope, he didn't even think he opened his eyes to see where he was going, acting on instinct alone apparently.

Hope unlocked the door to his home, and upon entering found a note on the dinning room table. Taking the note into his hand, Hope saw that the note had been written by his dad's hand:

_Hope,_

_Sorry, but I just got a call from the office in Bodhum. Your mother and I left early this morning. Don't know how long we'll be gone so please behave until we call back._

Mom and Dad

"Great…I'll be here by myself…"

That note hit Hope like a brick wall, though the thought of being alone for the weekend made him relax as much as he felt stressed at being alone.

Making a list of chores in his head, Hope went and went to wash his hands. He started to think about what he had done earlier.

He had run off on Vanille when she started to get complicated.

Not to mention he had completely doused a stranger in milk and run off without properly asking for forgiveness.

Those two options, coupled with his past problems with romance he came to the very obvious conclusion that his experience with women sucked big time.

As he started to wash the dishes, Hope stopped in time to hear the doorbell. Wondering what that was about, he went to the door and opened it.

His jaw dropped as he saw the pink haired girl from earlier looking him straight in the eye, a book bag in her right hand, and a look of seriousness on her face. "You're—"

"My name is Lightning, and you owe me."


	2. Chapter 2

"What do you mean I owe you one?"

Lightning was standing in the bathroom, getting everything ready for her bath, all of which she had brought over in her bag. "Basically, you caused my clothes to get all stained, so that way I see it, you are responsible for getting them cleaned."

"Why do you want to use my shower?"

"It's closer than my place is."

"Yeah but-"

Lightning unbuttoning her shirt cut off Hope, and the boy stood with his eyes wide open, gawking with bewilderment.

"What are you doing?"

"What else? Getting undressed. Stop being stupid."

She turned around and threw the dress shirt at Hope's head, he let it stay there, knowing full well there was a naked girl on the other side of the cloth. He didn't want to see what would happen if he even caught a glimpse of her body. "But why are you so matter of fact about this? It's MY house! MY-"

Hope never finished, as soon as he started his last sentence the door slammed right in his face. Would he ever get his point across?

The shower could be heard downstairs, where Hope was doing his homework at his father's desk. Papers and books were scattered about the desktop, all in a rather organized manner.

Hope was secretly hoping to let loose some steam from earlier. The girl named Lightning, or so she called herself, had literally spilled into his life and he was unable to stop her. Sure, he had spilled milk on her, but that had obviously been an accident.

Hope pinched the bridge of his nose, trying very hard to concentrate on his studies, but the pink haired woman kept with his thoughts all the while he worked. Her sudden appearance in his life just baffled his mind.

"Why does she have to be here-"

As if life had not been screwing with him enough, Hope felt a hand on his shoulder, "You have no clean towels, Hope. Know where I can get one?"

The sixteen year old turned his head, and was immediately introduced to the deep cleavage of Lightning's chest, nearly hidden by an oversized dress shirt.

His face went red as he looked up at Lightning, whose hair was dripping and damp, like she had just run downstairs from the shower.

"Um…you sure? There should have been a few hanging on the edge of the stall," Hope said, trying to keep eye contact with Lightning, lest he suffer a wrath worse than a strike of lightning.

"Obviously not," Lightning replied.

_Geez…she's incorrigible!_ Hope turned back to the desk, pulling out the Language Arts book, and went to the page marked. And he did not like it at all.

Romeo and Juliet…

A deep sigh came from Hope's mouth, and Lightning was kneeling over his shoulder, "What are you doing?"

"Researching, I have a report to write on this," Hope said, just before he felt something soft on his left shoulder. He didn't even have to guess what it was, nor did he have to look. The mere thought of doing that made him even more uncomfortable than he already was. He also easily figured out that she wasn't wearing a bra under that shirt either, judging by how soft she was.

"Maybe I could help, I aced it when I was in your grade," Lightning said

Hope sighed, "You aced this?"

The woman nodded, "Highest marks in class."

"Then I'll be happy to have you help me," he said.

The two talked and such about the story, characters, and everything else Hope had trouble with. And he wasn't disappointed with Lightning's teaching, as she did indeed know everything.

"So, why do you have so much trouble with this story?" Lightning asked, puzzled.

Hope closed his eyes, "anything involving romance and I get all flustered. I've had a sucky love life, well, more like nonexistent love life."

"Ahh...I had a boyfriend once," Lightning said

"Really? How'd that go?"

"He sucked."

Hope was quite dumbfounded, "oh."

"But let me give you advice: don't hesitate when you have to confess, it makes things ten times more complicated. When you want to do something or say something, just do it. Who knows, you might just hit the jackpot," Lightning said.

"Wow…thanks, I'll remember that."

"Welcome," Lightning replied, still hovering over Hope's left shoulder. Her hair was slightly drier than before, but her shirt was damp.

"So, when do you plan to go home?"

"Eager to get rid of me?"

Hope wanted to scream yes, but thought that would be too rude considering what she had just done for him. So, he kept quiet about it.

"If you must know, I still need to dry my clothes, but by the time I can get them it will be dark. So, I'm planning to spend the night," Lightning said.

Hope blushed yet again, and had no intention of arguing, "Alright…um, I'll have the couch ready for you."

"It's a pull out bed, right? Couches are the worst to sleep on otherwise."

"Yeah, luckily-"

A soft _click! _was heard, it grabbed Lightning's attention immediately, "What was that?"

Hope listened for a few seconds, then recognized it, "Oh, that's the evening air conditioner turning on."

Lightning stood straight up, hugging her arms and trying to warm herself. The cool air was quickly cooling the room, and with barely anything on, Lightning felt goosebumps go up her bare legs, and her chest had an even more unusual sensation.

Hope looked up at her, "Want me to turn it off?"

And now he wished he hadn't looked, and saw that her nipples were getting hard, poking right through the fabric of the shirt. Hope's eyes were easily diverted to them, and he suffered as a result. As soon as Lightning saw that he wasn't looking at her face, she looked down at her chest, got red in the face, and slapped Hope across the face.

The kid fell backwards, crying out in pain as if he had been hit by a harder than steel object. His lower back hitting the edge of the hard wood desk as he brought his right hand to his face and saw Lightning storm off back upstairs.

"Why in the blue hell does this have to happen to ME!"


	3. Chapter 3

Later that night, Hope sat in bed, reading a book he had gotten from the library at school. The book was called _A Classic Case of Payback_, it was a comedy about this kid who pissed off a girl he knew at school and the rest was pretty much pure guess work: she made his life a living hell until he received a similar amount of humiliation, and he ended up apologizing in the end.

"Well, it does seem familiar," Hope said, remembering that Lightning was across the hall from him. The woman who had followed him home because he had _accidentally_ knocked his ice cream all over her chest. She had used his shower, his sofa, and even his own shirt apparently. She had stolen his largest shirt from a clothes basket near his door, saying she didn't want to wear her dress shirt to bed. Hope wasn't happy about that, but when it came to standing up to her, he backed down. It was a waste of time for him, he'd never win.

The shirt she had stolen was his biggest, unfortunately, it barely covered her anyway. It reached just below her navel, and when she sat down it went up past it. Hope had been forbidden from seeing her when that happened. Not that he had wanted to see her. He'd already suffered enough tonight.

Putting his book down on the bedside table, Hope turned out the light, hoping that the sleep that followed would relieve him of stress. "Hopefully she'll be gone early in the morning…like at dawn…"

Unfortunately, that was not to be.

_RANG-RANG-RANG-RANG!_

Hope heard his alarm go off at its usual time of 7:30 AM, but he didn't want to wake up to turn it off. It was Saturday and he had absolutely no intention of getting up at this hour.

However, he wasn't going to able to ignore the alarm for long. He reached out for it, but it wasn't where it was supposed to be. It was farther away for some reason. _Oh good God…I must've scooted to the wall again._

Hope had this unnatural habit of having his back against his bedroom wall, and his mom often made fun of him for it, saying _you look so cute curled up against the wall!_

Not even opening his eyes, Hope unconsciously tried to scoot his way back over to his side desk. He didn't get very far when his face met up with something.

Something soft and warm. _Must be my pillow…_ Still not opening his eyes, Hope pulled his face away and tried to pull the pillow up and away with his hand, but it wouldn't budge, though he did feel something hot under his cold fingers.

What the—

Finally making his eyes open, the young boy found himself looking right at a pair of breasts, one on the bed-sheet, and his other hand had a firm hold of the other. His eyes went wide, but no words could escape when he saw Lightning's face. Her eyes were shut, her mouth slightly open and making light snores. Hope was more shocked than angry to see his tormenter in his bed, and the fact that he had unintentionally disrobed her and her naked body was close to him did not make him any calmer. The shirt she wore was up, obviously moved by Hope when he had reached for his clock instead. Needless to say the clock was no longer a priority as Lightning slept right through it.

He couldn't even make his body move, and his right hand was still attached to her left breast. He tried to pull it away but he ended up slightly squeezing it instead.

Thiscan'tbehappeningthiscan'tbehappening—

And as if things could not get any worse, Hope found himself being pushed back against the wall by the unconscious Lightning. He couldn't keep her back, and soon he was back against the wall, and his face was just millimeters from her naked chest. His hand was still stuck to her breast. He tried pulling it again, but it was still clenching her skin, and when he pulled it, he heard a light moan escape from Lightning's lips, and that made Hope even more uncomfortable for some reason.

Another thing that made him uncomfortable was the fact that under his hand, Hope felt something hard poking into his palm, and he knew what it was. Her nipple was hard, and the feeling of it going into his palm finally made his hand leave her chest. He hugged it against himself. She moaned again, possibly from the feeling of his cool hand leaving her breast.

Hope didn't move, not that he could anyway, he was like a little kid staring at the boogeyman. The only thing he did do, he may not even have remembered doing it, was pulling Lightning's shirt back down to cover her chest.

The boy didn't know what else to do, if he moved he probably would wake Lightning up, and suffer her wrath as a consequence. So, he just laid there, waiting for her to wake up.

It was a number of hours later when Lightning yawned, and opening her eyes. Seeing Hope curled up and eyes wide open like he had just seen a ghost would have made Lightning laugh under any other circumstance.

That, however, was definitely _not_ the case here.

Lightning looked right at Hope, her eyes going wide as his, and what followed was a scream that could have broken glass and was heard for miles..


	4. Chapter 4

Hope's scream followed by the blush that formed as he pushed Lightning off his bed out of reflex, "You should have told me you sleepwalk! And besides, what the HELL are you doing here on a Saturday?"

"Thought you would have figured out that I do what I want when I want," Lightning replied, sitting on Hope's floor, just after falling out of the bed, while Hope himself was terrified and almost deaf due to what had just happened. "Besides, you should feel lucky to feel me up and live to tell the tale."

Hope's blush grew, "T-That was an accident! You were WAY too close!" Just moments ago, Hope had been way too scared to do anything else but sit in terror at Lightning unconsciously pressing her chest against his hand. Hope, being single and distant for relationships with girls, had not registered the moment with what boys his age would in the same situation.

The woman stood up, brushing her shirt with her hands while sitting back down on the bed, "As far as I'm concerned, you didn't do it on purpose, so I'll forgive you this time."

Hope starred at Lightning's back and felt himself grow frustrated. _Why is she bossing me around, _again_? In _my_ home!_

Suddenly, Lightning stood up and turned to face Hope, "Why I'm here is because I couldn't sleep at home, so I had to sleep somewhere, and your place was the first to come to mind."

Hope nodded, "You're strange, Lightning—"

The woman got on the bed on her hands and knees, the shirt she wore was three times her size and the collar was left open to see down her chest. Hope covered his eyes, not just from seeing something he already seen enough of, but also to avoid Lightning's wrath.

Lightning tilted her head to the side, almost curious it would seem. All she did was lightly laugh, "Funny Hope."

Moving fingers to see her face at least a foot from his, Hope was about to speak when Lightning pulled his hands away from his face before putting a hand under his chin and lifted his chin to look at her face, "If you ever want to get a girl's attention, be respectful and look her in the eyes. Try it now."

Hope was too shy, yet he struggled to do as Lightning told him.

Disappointment started to creep into her eyes, and Lightning pulled the frightened Hope closer to her face, "You'll get it eventually." She pulled away and Hope fell backwards into the wall, completely shocked about how his life is just out of control.


	5. Chapter 5

Hope felt like crap when lunchtime came around. Lightning dominated the house like it was her own home, and since he was so afraid that something more humiliating would happen to him, he up and left when she took a shower.

"Smartest thing I've done all week," Hope said with a groan, all the while remembering the fact that the upper classman from his school had been a total stranger mere days ago and since then she's been in his life without his consent. With all the crap that has happened, Lightning seems more like the big sister he never wanted in his life than a stranger.

"You know, you've been pretty out of it ever since Lightning came to your house, and yet you somehow are able to survive," the woman said. Hope only groaned, "You know...the next pair of drinks is on me, okay Hope?"

"If that's the case, then put it on my tab, Lebreau," said a familiar female voice.

Hope sat straight up, arms to his side, and saw Vanille sitting right across from on the other side of the table. She had a big smile on her face as she put her hands on the table, "Hope, you look..."

Hope leaned back against the leather seat, "So what...?"

"Terrible, like you had a bad night's sleep. You stay up all night because of Lightning?"

"How in the name of the Maker does everyone know about her being at my house?"

"She let it slip at school and as you know, gossip spreads like wildfire at school, most of the seniors are not liking it," she concluded.

Hope groaned again, and then slammed his head back on the table, causing the drinks to shake on the table, but they did not fall over. Vanille giggled, "It's alright Hope, just rumors, I don't think that anyone believes that the Fierce Lightning would be at your house for any other reason than to torment you."

_ You have NO idea how much that is true..._

The two drinks were set down on the table, Vanille took a quick drink, setting the glass down after a quick sip, "You know, you should do something today, get your mind off of things and all that makes you stressed out."

Hope looked up at Vanille, trying to figure out what the hell this was going into. "Well...I was planning on trying to study for the test on Monday. They postponed it for lack of pre-study time-"

"No, I meant for going out and having some fun! You can't be cooped up all the time with Lightning, whether she does it against your will or not," she said.

Hope sat with his arms to his sides, and the hair on his neck was standing out on end. He relaxed and surely took into consideration what Vanille was telling him. He was all stressed out with Lightning's hostile take over, along with all the other crap that had happened. "Well...I suppose I can-"

Vanille's face lit up like a Christmas tree, "Alright! So, come over to my place and we'll have a ball around town, okay?"

Hope's eyes went wide, "W-what-?"

Vanille set some Gil down on the table and stood up, "Come over at around eight, alright? Ciao!" And she took off for the door, the door's bell going off loudly.

After dragging his own sorry carcass out of the cafe, Hope went and sat in the shade in the picnic area, already contemplating the fact that he now had a date with Vanille. Even though he had fallen into the little trap, he was glad. He had something positive to look forward to instead of a disaster at home. Standing up, the boy gathered himself and took a big breath,

"Alright, I'll go and make this a great evening for us!"

"And who is this 'we'?"

Hope turned his head to see Lightning standing next to him!

"AHHH!"

"What?"

You scared the crap out of me!"

"You like using that word don't you?"

_How in the-never mind...'_ "When did you get here? No, scratch that, HOW long have you been standing there?"

"Longer than what you expect. I heard Vanille is taking you out for a date. Congratulations you little stud."

_STUD?_ "Excuse me? Stud? I'm far from it-"

"No, you're just starting out, you'll turn into a great guy with lots of girlfriends. Maybe you'll turn into a pimp or something."

"What the hell are you saying?"

Lightning stepped forward, putting on a long leather trench coat and fixing her ponytail, " I don't know if you'll try, but in case you think about it, don't try to act like a tough guy, it makes you look like a dork. As well as your chances of winning her heart will plummet."

Not expecting that last sentence, but ignoring it, Hope started to walk, "I'll try to make it awesome for her, I won't do anything stupid, Lightning. Besides, we're just friends…"

Lightning chuckled, "That's how it always starts out. But like everything else, it will evolve with time."

Hope blushed a little.

"A last piece of advice: ."She hopes to have a good time. So, for both of your sakes, I hope you won't mess up. Nothing's worse than an upset girl on a first date. It leaves a terrible impression."

Hope thought about it for a second, and nodded in acknowledgement.

The woman turned her head slightly, "By the way, don't ask me about it."

"Wha...?"

"About this coat, I don't know why I'm wearing it."

"Huh? Where'd you get it?"

Lightning started to walk away she replied, "Don't know, ask the writer where he got the idea."


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry it took me so long to do this, but now that spring is here I'll be working more often and writing will be a little less likely to occupy my time.**

* * *

><p>Hope and Vanille's date started at roughly 8 o'clock that evening. Since the little chat at the café, Hope had been pretty much been a nervous wreck. Vanille had asked him out and even if he didn't say yes, he was forced to accept the fact that he was to live with it now.<p>

The four films playing tonight ranged from slapstick comedy to dramas and horror films. The fourth was a documentary for those interested in those films. The one Hope wanted to see was the comedy, since romance and drama didn't really agree with him tonight.

_I just hope that Vanille is into laughing, otherwise this night is going to suck for me_, the young man thought as he went to pick up his date. Walking to Vanille's house was pretty simple; she lived a few blocks down the street near a large cluster of cherry trees. Hope always got a good look at them as he walked his way to school, and Vanille would be waiting under the trees for Hope to pass by before walking with him to school.

And as the trees came into view, Hope saw that Vanille was under the trees. She waved at him frantically and cheerfully as he walked up to her, "Hello Vanille."

The girl stood up and brushed off the cherry red short skirt she had on before doing the same to the light pink blouse she wore. "Hey Hope, doing alright?"

_Her hair matches pretty well with her out fit…_ "Trying to stay cool, but even in the evening the temperature doesn't look like it ever lets up…" _I'm also hoping greatly that this night goes off without a hitch, but I feel as if that's asking for too much._ The last think Hope wanted was to have a certain someone come in and screw up his very first date with a girl he considered a friend.

Vanille put her hands behind her back, taking a good look at Hope's face, no doubt noting the sweat he had on his face. "True, luckily we aren't walking anywhere this evening."

Her sentence surprised Hope, "What do you mean?"

"I asked for a chaperone for the night. It was a free deal too."

"How so?"

"I got a few good grades in the last exams, so I got a card for a free night chaperone."

"Wow, I didn't know those were available…"

"Ah, here is our ride!"

As soon as Hope turned to the street the car came to a screeching halt right on the curb, startling the two a bit. The sign on the passenger side door read the name of the cab company _Bodhum Transport Company_.

Hope took a deep breath, "Crazy driver."

Vanille didn't seem bothered by the driver's skills, and quickly opened the back door to get in, and Hope shook his head before following her into the cab.

After Hope closed the door, he quickly noticed that the air conditioner was on and he immediately shivered. It felt like it was ten below! "Wow! The cold—"

Vanille didn't seem to like it either and she crossed her arms over her chest and spoke aloud, "You can turn down the AC a bit please!"

The fans slowed down a bit, and the voice of the driver came in, ""Sorry about that, the heat outside was getting to me before I got here. The AC works great though, right?"

And Hope couldn't believe his ears at the driver's voice. It was so familiar there was no doubt who it was. "Don't tell me…"

And the window separating the driver's seats from the passenger seats went down, and sure enough, long pink hair in a ponytail under a dark green ball cap with a small smirk on her lips. "Hey Hope."

The boy's jaw literally dropped at the sight of his worst nightmare sitting mere feet from him, "What in the heck are you doing here?"

"Silly boy, I'm doing my job."

Vanille asked next, "You're a chaperone?"

"Have to make a living somehow, right?"

Hope sat back in his seat, the night had just started and now he was stuck with Lightning behind the wheel of a car he was going to be in for most of the night!

Vanille put a hand on Hope's shoulder, "You alright?"

Hope looked at Vanille and he suddenly came to the realization that Vanille had not been told about all the freak accidents between Hope and Lightning. Of course, if they had Hope would have kicked his own ass and his decent reputation would have gone down the toilet. Hanging out (even if it was against his will most of the time) with a girl two years older than him and seeing her in ways he shouldn't made him wish that he had not had that—

_That stupid chocolate milk incident!_

"Um, if it isn't a problem, I'll be taking you guys to the theater now."

Lightning's words came to Hope's ears and it snapped him out of his little trance, "Huh?"

"I'm here for my job, not on account of being your friends, though one could see that as an added bonus."

Vanille spoke, "Yeah that would be good, please."

Hope looked up in time to see Lightning nod in return and she started to drive slowly to town. Hope kept his mouth shut during the whole trip, too out of it to speak to Vanille. Now that Lightning came in out of nowhere made him wonder if someone up above hated him, or if he was the unluckiest guy on the planet. It also made him wonder if the night was going to go as smooth as silk or rough like a cactus.

As the car slowly came to a halt outside the theater, Vanille got out first, and as Hope scooted over to get out her door, Lightning's voice stopped him. "Hey shorty."

Hope didn't answer her, he refused to.

"Don't think I'll screw up your little date. You do that and you'll end up worrying more about me than Vanille. Keep your eyes, ears, and thoughts on her."

_How did she get that idea? Is my contempt for her right now so bad she can see it that obviously?_ "Thanks for the advice. So, does that make you a real cab driver or did you knock the original driver out cold just to keep an eye on me?" That wasn't meant to sound like a joke, and Hope had to keep it from sounding too rude.

Lightning must have thought that was humorous, since she chuckled a little, "No, this isn't a plot twist. This really is my job."

"You don't seem like the kind of woman to do this sort of thing."

Lightning shrugged, "Whatever. Now get going before you lose her before you've even had a chance. I'll be right here once the movie is over. And for future reference, its all on the house, but just for this occasion."

Hope was again surprised, but felt it was too good to be true. Still… "Um, thanks." He then took off after Vanille.

Lightning sat back in her seat, turning on the radio before resting her hands on the steering wheel, and her eyes watching Hope walk with Vanille to the theater. Lightning smirked, "On the house, but I'll just tell Vanille you paid me in advance, Hope. That ought to impress her, huh?" The woman chuckled again from her own joke, but just as she finished her eyes turned back to the theater, seeing the two enter and she took a big sigh of disappointment.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm trying to make the story more interesting while trying to remain humorous. Don't think this one is nearly as good as the others but I'm trying, that's all that matters right? Oh, and the next part will be out on May 27th, so stay tuned!**


	7. Chapter 7

After the movie was over and Hope came back with Vanille, Lightning tried to maintain her demeanor as best she could, and also tried to keep it from Hope. She didn't want to ruin his evening with her woes.

He needs to learn…

Hope got into the car after Vanille went in.

Lightning started the car, "How was the show?" She asked, trying to make her voice sound interested.

Hope smiled, "We saw _Battleship_, good action film." Hope and Vanille explained in detail of how good the film was to Lightning.

The next stop was rather uneventful where Lightning took the two kids to a park. Vanille asked Hope to go out first, since she said she needed to use her phone.

Only problem was, with Lightning's keen eye for detail, she knew that Vanille never carried her cell phone on her dates. So, something was up and luckily she would find out shortly.

"Hey Lightning…"

Lightning was all-calm about it on the outside, but her interest was piqued on the inside. She turned her head and gave her gaze to Vanille.

"Um, I got to know something. About you and Hope."

_Didn't expect that so soon._ "What's up?"

"What I've heard is nothing but rumors, but you've been hanging out at Hope's place recently, right?"

Lightning sighed, but said nothing. She wasn't dumb. She had been hearing the rumors since the day she had stayed at his place. She didn't care either. "If you're gonna ask why its nothing for you to be concerned about."

Vanille opened the door, "Lightning…I may not be a close friend of yours, but I do keep tabs on the news at school. There are a lot of people out there that don't get it."

"Get what?"

"Why you're spending so much time with him, I mean, he _is_ two years younger than you. Not only that—"

"Vanille. I like you as a friend, and I respect you, however, it's none of your concern and if you keep pushing me I'm going to have to hurt you."

Not fazed, Vanille nodded, though obviously not satisfied from just that. She got what she wanted out of the way and now she had to return her attention to Hope, which was now more important.

Vanille got out of the car and as soon as she was gone, Lightning had another big sigh.

"This chapter is not ending this way," Lightning said, completely throwing the plotline off center and freaking the author out considerably with her fourth wall awareness.

But…what Vanille said had come close to hitting a nerve. Lightning had always dodged explaining why she was hanging out with Hope but it was extremely personal and she didn't like sharing it with anyone. She just found Hope to be a decent change to the people she used to hang out with.

Not only that but he was also sort of cute, in personality and more. Hope didn't know how much he had changed her, nor did he know how much he meant to her.

But as much as Lightning wanted him to know she didn't feel comfortable telling him yet. He had Vanille to be with after all, and as it was his first date she didn't want to ruin it.

At least, not intentionally.

Hope and Vanille sat at a table in the park's cafe, and having a late dinner. The conversation they were having concerned school, activities after that, and all the while trying to get around to the subject of a certain pink haired woman, which Hope was somehow avoiding with every skill he had learned prior to this.

"So, if there's anything else you want to ask, go ahead," Hope said.

"Well, why is Lightning-"

Hope set his head on the table, clearly disappointed, "Is that why you made me go out with you? So you could ask about Lightning?"

Finally hit the nail on the head.

"I've heard from all sources that there's nothing going on between you and her, but you've seen her naked at least once-"

"That was an accident."

"She was in your bed with you-"

"Uh...that was her sleepwalking-"

"And have your face in her breasts-"

"And you're okay with speaking about that IN PUBLIC?"

"If you ask me you're closing in on home base," Vanille said with a small smile.

Hope wished he could have died at that point, "And I've never even got up to bat yet..."

As Hope hopelessly listened to Vanille trying to get more out of him about the other girl, he soon finished eating and Vanille followed suit.

Lightning was leaning against the hood of her cab, arms crossed and looking so damn cool standing there you'd be overcome with the awesomeness.

She saw the two lovebirds coming her way and Lightning finally moved to the driver's seat. Once the two got inside, Lightning took a quick look at them. She saw Vanille smiling, like she had been satisfied in a nonphysical sense, but Hope looked very depressed, like his joy had been drained. _She probably got him to talk about me_, Lightning thought.

_Doesn't matter_, she thought, _Neither of them will know the truth until I choose to tell them. Especially Hope._

"Well, kids, I'm going to have to let you know that the ride's nearly over."

Vanille expressed disappointment, "Really?"

"Yeah, got to return the car before they think I stole it again," Lightning replied, "Besides that it's almost midnight and I need to sleep."

Hope looked up, "You're heading to your place this time, right?"

He really hoped that Lightning was heading home once Vanille was dropped off at home; he mentally crossed his fingers as well as wished he had a four-leaf clover in his shoe and a couple horseshoes up his sleeve.

However...as this story has shown, poor Hope seems to have the gods working against him.

As well as the forces of nature, since a quick flash of lightning followed by a loud rumble of thunder made his wishful thinking go down the proverbial storm-drain.

"Well, I usually have to walk home but that's not gonna happen now that it will be pouring down rain soon, so Hope I'll have to crash at your place again."

Hope's jaw dropped.

Vanille made it worse, "Mind if I stay too? I'm not liking the idea of walking home in the rain either."

'Doesn't anyone have their own car!'

Hope's night was just beginning, and it would without a doubt get worse.

The ride to Hope's house was quiet, at least until Hope reached the door to his home. No one was home, which makes one wonder if Hope actually has parents or they're just mentioned to move the plot forward...

Anyway, Vanille and Lightning stood on the front sidewalk, having a chat. And it just happened to be about Hope.

Vanille had her hands on her hips but a smile on her face, "So, we going to fight over the poor boy or should we share?"

Lightning was more mature than that, "Don't be like that, I don't plan on making him even more uncomfortable."

"Then I won't do anything that will make him that way either," Vanille replied.

As Lightning smiled she felt the rain start to fall, but before she even took a step the downpour got the both of them and they were drenched.

Vanille took her shoes off on Hope's porch, "Dammit...the rain got me by surprise...I'm soaked."

Lightning followed in and tossed her jacket to the side, equally soaked and giving Hope a smile, "Guess I'll be staying for awhile."

And thus the poor boy's jaw was nailed to the floor. Surely things could not get any worse for him...

"Oh well, I'll just go take a bath before I go to bed," Vanille said out of the blue, starting to walk into Hope's house.

"Hey, you don't know where the shower is. I need to take one too, so I'll join you."

It just got worse.


	8. Chapter 8

Of course, with what was going on upstairs, Hope wished he had his feet weighed down with concrete. Instead, his head felt it was made out of concrete.

"Two girls. In my house…both taking a bath…_together_?" The mere thought of that made his head spin. Sure, one girl he knew since middle school and the other was pretty much stalking him and getting a kick out of getting him all flustered, but still…

"Why is all this happening to me?"

While waiting for the water to fill the tub, Vanille had kept an eye out for the weather. Turns out that the storm was just ending, which was just her luck since she had planned to stay until the next morning. And now she was going to take a bath, with Lightning doing the same.

Vanille wasn't put off by the idea with sharing a bath with another girl. Since she was a part of a sports group at school she always took group showers and found herself comfortable with it. The problem she had was it was with Lightning. She had the sneaky feeling that Lightning had decided to take a bath with her to get some sort of information out of it, and Vanille would be the one to give it to her, at least that was what the girl thought. _Sorry, Lightning, I won't tell you a damn thing._

After undressing and the water filled up, the two got in without saying a word to each other. Lightning was washing her hair first while Vanille decided to relax for a couple minutes, let the warm water ease her muscles.

"Liking the water?"

Vanille didn't answer, instead, she went on the attack, "So, why are you going after Hope?"

Lightning placed the bar of soap that had been in her hand into the water, she had to know that that question was coming. They _were_ alone after all. "Does it bug you that an upperclassman is eyeing him?"

"So you fancy him, why?"

"Don't be like that, I'm just a friend."

Vanille stood up in the tub, "Answer me. Now!"

"You want to have Hope, but you know what, I won't just stand aside and let you have him."

"You frighten him, and yet you ignore that to attach yourself to him, why is it?"

Lightning, as if by reflex, stood up as well and she towered over the sophomore, "My reason is not for you to know. But why should you be chasing the boy, you already have a boyfriend, don't you?"

Vanille put her arms over her chest, and turned away, "N-No—"

"I'm not an idiot Vanille, you have a boyfriend, and it isn't Hope."

Vanille stepped out of the tub, "He's two timing me, and he no longer cares."

"And you think that going after Hope will make him change his mind? That's pretty damn low."

Vanille was hit hard by those words, but there was also something she knew that no one else knew either, "And you believe going after Hope will make you forget the tragedy you suffered too?"

Lightning stepped out of the tub as well, hands on her hips, "At least I moved on, and I wasn't countering a two-timer by playing with my closest friend like you are."

"Shut up…"

"Wanna know one last thing? Unlike your attempt at a relationship with him, my feelings for Hope are true—"

_Slap!_

Vanille's right palm smacked Lightning's left cheek so hard that the lower classman's hand went numb for a split second. Lightning's cheek was beet red, but she didn't appear to be angry.

In fact, she smiled.

A creepy smile that got Vanille uncomfortable. So, she proceded to grab a towel and open the door to leave before she started to cry—

And she found Hope right outside, the look in his eyes telling the story. He had heard everything.

Immediately following the shouting, Hope decided to take a risk and see what was going on upstairs between the girls. Of course, knowing his luck it was more than likely going to cause him more physical harm than good.

And that's how he found about Vanille's plan.

"Hope…I can explain—"

"Vanille, you used me…"

"Please, it wasn't all that—"

"Get out."

Now on the verge of tears, fully realizing what she had done, Vanille didn't say another word to either of them. She grabbed her clothes and went downstairs, and after a few minutes, the door was opened and slammed shut, signaling that she had left.

Lightning had gotten into her underwear while that little show had gone down, and she didn't feel like talking now.

But Hope had to ask, even as he was starting to be emotionally hurt, "Lightning, everything that you said, it was all true. Wasn't it?"

The next thing Hope knew, he had a towel covering his head, it had a strong scent of strawberries, and Lightning had her hands on his cheeks, "Have I ever lied about things like that? And to you?"

Hope starred up into Lightning's eyes, and he saw that she was right. She had never lied to him, and there wasn't any reason she was going to start now.

Lightning let go of Hope's face, "We'll I'm going to go have a drink. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

And so the pink haired beauty left the boy standing in the dark hallway, before Hope got the urge to move his feet.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Wow...things have gotten a bit steamy huh? Sorry for the delay, been having drama at the house and its very distracting for me. Hopefully, the next part will be soon!


	9. Author's Note

Author's Note

Will I continue the story? Yes! With Camp NaNoWriMo happening once again at the beginning of August, I plan to release another part of this story during the month of August, maybe even two parts if I feel up for it. I'm just giving you all this notice to let you all know that the story is alive and well.

I don't plan to end the story anytime soon, so have fear, poor old Hope's misery and funny business is far from over!


	10. Chapter 9

Hope didn't know if he had slept during the night. With what happened between Lightning and Vanille the night before, and him over hearing it all, he wasn't sure today was going to be a great day.

Lightning had left early that morning, leaving a note addressed to Hope.

_I won't be at school today, but I will be there to walk you home. Do not do anything stupid until after I get there. And do not go looking for Vanille if you feel that urge._

"If I feel the urge? Why would I do that? It's not like I have to apologize to her, she used me," Hope said, placing the note on the counter and grabbing his bag before leaving his house. Vanille had used Hope like a tool, and just thinking about it put a bad taste in his mouth. Hopefully, he'd go through the day without being reminded of the event.

As expected, Lightning had not been at school, but the weird part was that Vanille wasn't either, and she was usually a perfect attendant at school. Hope didn't ask anyone where she was however, afraid he'd start up rumors if he did.

And with that school went by without any drama, which was a first in a long while for Hope. So, he waited for Lightning outside the school's gates. It was Friday, so when his homework was complete, Hope really wanted to enjoy the weekend without any trouble. There weren't very many places that shade could be found, but he wanted to remain out in the open for when Lightning came to get him.

"She better get her soon," Hope said aloud, and he did a short spin in a circle—

And when he had turned a full one hundred and eighty degrees, he saw a group of men, all wearing the uniform of his school and one of them, the front man, was carrying a bat.

"You seen Lightning, Hope?" Asked the front man.

Hope didn't know what to say at first until he took a short breath, "No, I haven't."

"Well, then could you give her a message?" And that was when a solid object, a wooden bat, connected with Hope's right shoulder and he fell to the ground grasping his should and grunting in pain. "That what you got is a taste of what Vanille wants to give her for the humiliation she received."

"Hope!" Lightning ran up to her fallen friend and helped him to his feet and he slumped into her. "So, I take it you're Vanille's posse?"

Hope saw the group, four men about his age, and armed with bats. "I can't believe that Vanille could stoop so low…"

"She had a wretched heart to begin with, and I guess she had to make a good many promises to get these asses to do what she wanted them to."

The leader laughed, "Nice thinking sweetheart, but Vanille is an old friend. Nothing personal what I'm gonna do to you. Just doing her a favor."

"I bet she made you a deal," Lightning said, pulling off her trench coat and tossing it aside.

"Yeah, she told us to kick your little ass and humiliate you."

Lightning stood in front of Hope and got in a defensive position, like karate, and that surprised Hope even more. "I'll let you know, this little ass of mine isn't easy to kick around."

"Lightning-!"

Hope calling out her name didn't distract Lightning, and the first goon came out swinging, but Lightning just moved to the side and delivered a swift knee to the gut. All the air in the guy's gut went out his mouth and he slumped to the ground. The leader whistled, and sent for the other two, one was armed and the other wasn't. The first guy missed his swing with his bat, but Lightning just ducked down and the bat unintentionally collided with the other guy's face. As he fell, Lightning reared back with her right hand and drove her fist into the third guy's face, shattering his nose and Hope may not have been seeing things when he saw teeth flying.

That guy fell to the ground as well, but Hope saw that Lightning had her back turned and he gasped, "Lightning! Look out!" and he shoved her out of the way, just as the same bat that had hit his shoulder connected with the back of his head. He saw stars, and a bright white light, his vision went blurry before he started to enter free fall and he blacked out.

And Lightning caught him before he had hit the ground, his head cradled in her chest, and a small trickle of blood starting to go down his head.

Needless to say, Lightning was pissed off. Her eyes glared at the leader of the now destroyed posse and he was obviously scared of the Valkyrie he had stirred, "You stupid son of a…"

He backed up a step or two, but it was too late as he earned a well deserved kick to the groin, courtesy of Lightning's steel tipped boot.

A groggy Hope slowly found himself opening his eyes, lying on his side, and seeing a television screen. It took him a few seconds to come to realize that it was his TV, and that he wasn't lying on a pillow. "What happened?"

He tried to lift his head, but a hand softly forced it back down, and he saw that he was lying on a pair of very soft thighs. "Don't worry Hope, I got you."

"Lightning…what time is it?"

"Nine thirty, you've been out for over six hours, now just rest while I hold this ice pack to your head."

Hope ignored her, and rolled onto his back to look up at her, she was wearing that black shirt that was almost too small for her, going well up past her navel. Her pajama shirt, and from his angle he could see the underside of her breasts. The ice pack was now in her lap, and Hope had to ignore the pain in the back of his head to talk to her. "You alright?"

Lightning nodded once, "Yeah, those guys were easy."

Hope sat up now, rubbing his forehead with his hand, "Vanille is in big trouble now…"

"She fled town."

"Huh?"

Lightning put her arms over her chest, "Yeah, she was faced with being expelled from school for that little deal she had for me, though I don't think she'll give up that easily."

"So, she intends to get revenge on both of us?"

"Only me, since I found out her ploy, though now that you have interfered you'll more than likely be targeted as well.

"Well, I won't run. She's no longer a friend or someone I can respect. And never forget it either. If she wants to hurt you, she'll have to get through me—" Hope stopped at those last words, having been surprised that he had said them at first. Hope stood up quickly, and he saw that Lightning stood up with him, her hands on her hips. "Um, what?"

Lightning's lips formed a small smile, "That was sweet of you, what you did before."

Hope remembered that guy with the bat, just before he had been knocked out, "Oh uh…well, I listened to what you told me before: don't hesitate and go for it."

The woman's smile grew, "I wasn't just talking about earlier today," She put her hands to his face, cupping his face with her hands softly.

Hope's cheeks flushed red, and Lightning bent down to be within inches of his face, "Um…L-Lightning, what are you doing—"

He never finished as Lightning lightly pressed her lips to Hope's, and Hope was given his first kiss. It didn't startle him, nor did it freak him out, he found himself kind of comfortable with it, and that surprised him.

Lightning kept her lips on his for a few long seconds before pulling away, but she softly rubbed them back and forth over his lips, the smile never leaving her face, "Consider that my show of affection."

"Lightning…" He looked up at her face, and saw her eyes almost shine in the dimly lit room.

The woman put her hands on Hope's shoulders and pulled him to her, his head in the middle of her chest, "Let's not worry about Vanille right now. You should get to bed."

Hope closed his eyes, unable to say anything, and felt that it was no longer necessary to talk. Was it because of the blow to his head? Or the sudden affection Lightning had shown him? Whatever it was, he was now realizing that things had gotten much more complex between him and Lightning.

The only question was what would happen next?


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N****: **I know its been a LONG while, but I suffered a great deal of writer's block for the last three months. I couldn't write ANYTHING and I knew that you guys were going to skin me alive if I didn't do something eventually. Now, this I wrote in no time at all to let you guys know that this story is still alive. Hope you guys enjoy it!

-_Dakk Tribal_

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><p>Respite.<p>

Lightning remained on Hope's couch all through the next day, skipping school just because she simply didn't want to attend. The day was warming up pretty darn fast, so she was dressed in short shorts and a tank top, lying with her legs bent and crossed over each other. Drifting somewhere between sleep and dreamland, eyes remaining closed, her mind locking itself away from reality but at the same time she couldn't help but think about the road her life was traveling down. She had a heavy heart, and it weighed her down in all sorts of ways, especially when it came to her school life. Lightning didn't have any friends besides Hope, and she had a lot more enemies than friends due to her dark and stoic nature at times. Seems when one is attracted to the quiet side of life they make more foes than friends.

Ever since she met Hope she had been more ambitious when it involved him, right to the point that she was his guardian supposedly.

She didn't regret 'moving in' with Hope, nor did she feel responsible for all the trouble she was causing for him (she blamed impeccable timing as the cause of it), but unlike Vanille she wasn't using him either. Getting rid of that skank had been pretty easy, since she had dug her own grave inadvertently a few nights before. She didn't deserve Hope anyway, that's what she believed. Vanille had tried to get Lightning to admit that she was using Hope as some sort of concubine or whatever immoral purpose she could pass along, but the more mature Lightning had seen through that ruse and instead had discovered that Vanille was using Hope to her own ends instead. When she left town, Lightning gave a sigh of relief as well as wishing that was the end of it between the three of them.

Still, she remained with Hope.

Well, that was something even she had trouble answering herself. At first it was because of an accident, and then she needed a place to stay for the night. Logically it was her best choice in her opinion, and then after that she decided to not return home and instead went on over to Hope's. She got lonely at her apartment, all by herself with no one to talk to. Whether Hope liked it or not, Lightning always liked talking with him.

'That's why.' Lightning realized, she had never noticed it before until now. The reason why I hang around Hope Estiem was because of that simple emotion. It was the only way she got over her own loneliness and sadness. She had been hiding it with expertise, how unhappy she often is with a fake smile, but behind the pretty face the student known as Fierce Lightning was a sad little girl.

Sitting up, Lightning sighed lightly, thinking that she was acting like an immature schoolgirl, "Simple loneliness...the true stalker of life. Everyone feels it, even someone like me."

After admitting her own weakness, Lightning felt her heart lighten a bit. She didn't think that would have been the problem for her to begin with, but now that it was made clear she realized she was not in the wrong now. Vanille was wrong.

Lightning stretched her arms over her head, "Speaking of Vanille..." Even though Vanille was supposedly out of Hope's life now, she wasn't going to give up easily, as they had found out when a group of her thugs tried to beat up Hope. Thankfully Lightning had been there to save him, but Vanille wouldn't stop there. She'd use any and all means necessary in order to get her revenge.

The only problem Lightning has was her limits. It'd be a waste of time to keep repelling Vanille, and even though she would be able to fight her schemes off there was no way she could do it forever.

"So...the next time that little wench tries something with Hope, I'll be sure to give her a very memorable beating.

For she was not going to let the only means of her happiness be taken away from her.

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><p><strong>AN:** I've also come to the realization that this story, while popular as it is, has to end sometime and the last thing I want to do is keep writing to the point it makes no sense. The story will reach its conclusion sometime early next year. You can count on that.


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N:** About F'N time, right? Well, its been rather hectic where I live and I've been busy with other things. With Valentine's Day here I have a legitimate reason to get some of my stories done. By the way I made Hope an XBOX player here, hope that doesn't offend anyone but I got FFXIII for the 360 in June 2010 so that's why that was what it was.

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><p>Valentine's Day<p>

_Why oh why does this sort of thing happen to me? _ Hope thought, a shopping bag in each hand while he followed Lightning through the mall. There was no school today and Hope was planning on playing a game with his friends online. XBOX was his preferred system to play online, and most of his school friends were playing today and he was stuck shopping with his so-called 'guardian'. Well, he shouldn't really complain as she did look out for him and all that and the least he could do was just grin and bare it.

Lightning kept quiet the whole time they were in the mall, but every time Hope caught a glimpse of her face he swore he saw a smile on her face. Of course, the only thing she was carrying was a paper sack with some mystery items that he had not seen yet. Of the five bags that Hope carried he only had one that had stuff he had bought for himself. A new XBOX controller to replace one he had accidentally broken, then there was some new shirts that Lightning suggested he get since they were on sale, and finally there was some hygiene products he had needed like soap and toothpaste.

The rest was either groceries or clothes for Lightning. Hope had never believed that she was such a shopaholic until today. The first place they had gone was her favorite clothing store, called Sharp Fangs, which Hope happened to know by word of mouth that it was one of the most expensive stores in Bodhum. She spent over an hour in there while Hope himself had gone to the game store and got his controller. Then, she had gone off without telling him to lord only knows and he had to nearly search the entire mall to find her. She had an extra bag in her hand when he found her, and no surprise she didn't seem too concerned that she had made Hope worry. Brushing that little incident aside, the two continued on with their shopping spree and it finally ended with the groceries.

While Hope was grateful at the fact that they didn't stay long at the mall, once they got home he had hoped to immediately get online and play with his friends. "Too bad I never found the game I was originally looking for," Hope said alone in the kitchen. The game he had hoped to find was called _The Last Illusion_, a role-playing game that was insanely popular with his friends. the game wasn't a total commercial success but it was addictive. Hope remembered not thinking too highly of the game when he had heard about it initially, but after he played it at a friend's house he was hooked instantly. He had prayed it was in town but the game store said it was sold out and wouldn't get a new shipment until the following week. While disappointed he thought he'd get it eventually. He had voiced his feelings aloud and Lightning had overheard him, and she patted him on the head, saying something akin to 'better luck next time.'

Speaking of Lightning, she came into the kitchen no longer wearing the leather trench coat she was wearing earlier. She was wearing a bright red sleeveless shirt that Hope thought complimented her strawberry pink hair. She also wore a denim short skirt. She was leaning against the counter watching Hope put the food away. Nothing new, she always watched him put the groceries away whenever they went shopping. Hope never complained about that, as he saw it as fair since she could drive and he never wanted to drive. "So, you have any homework to do?"

Hope closed the cupboard after putting the bag of sugar away, "Nope. I finished it in study hall yesterday. I'm actually going to go and play online with my friends."

"Sure, just don't forget about bringing the clothes we bought upstairs before you start."

Again, she implemented that he bring her clothes up as well. And again he didn't complain. "Sure."

Quickly finishing up his little job, Hope grabbed the baskets and headed upstairs. He dumped them oh his bed and grabbed whatever was his and threw them in his drawers, not caring about it.

But he quickly noticed something amiss. He heard something that sounded like plastic hitting the wood of his dresser. Taking a closer look and he found that there was a DVD case in his clothes.

"Wait a sec..." Hope took a closer look at the case, it was green and the title on the front said-

"_The Last Illusion_?!" That was the game that Hope had wanted! Where did it come from?

He turned around, tightly holding the game in his hands, and he saw Lightning standing in the doorway, "Your welcome, little boy."

Hope smiled, finally figuring out that it was Lightning who bought it for him. He also decided that that was what she was up to when she ran off in the mall earlier. "Thanks Light."

"You can thank me later, when you can do the dishes after dinner, okay?"

_'Damn it...I knew there was gonna be a catch,'_ Hope thought, though in this situation he was he could care less. Lightning had spent a great deal of money on him for one item and the least he could do was return the favor by doing her chores. "Okay, I'll go down and get started on it then."

"After we play online for a little bit."

Okay that was unexpected. "You play video games?"

Lightning put her hands on her hips, like she was offended, "What? Something wrong with a girl gamer?"

Hope waved his hands, "No, no, no! Its just that the only other girl that played online with me was Vanille and she-" He stopped, having totally forgotten about his former friend. He had wanted to forget her altogether after the incident a few weeks ago, but it was harder than he thought.

"Speaking of that little witch, she left something for you at the door," Lightning said, reaching down and holding a hand basket that was had a small brown teddy bear and a handful of heart shaped candies in it. Obviously a Valentine's gift to Hope. Lightning handed it to Hope and he took it, finding a card with his name on it. A feeling of disdain overcame Hope, and he set the basket on his dresser but not before pulling the teddy bear out of it. "Hey Light..."

The woman crossed her arms over her chest as if waiting for something, and she grew surprised when he suddenly handed her the stuffed animal originally meant for him.

"I'm giving this to you, happy Valentine's Day," he said.

She smiled, taking the animal, "When did you become sweet to me."

"You do so much for me and yet I don't think I've shown my appreciation for it fully. This is the first step in on that path," Hope said, taking hold of his game and walking past Lightning, "I'm heading downstairs to start the game. I'll see you in a few."

When Hope walked out of the room, Lightning smirked and she lightly pressed her lips to the teddy in her hands, "Cute little Hope. Thanks." Then she took the teddy with her out of the room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Well, since the story MIGHT come to a close this year sometime, I just want to know what you guys would like to see in terms of the relationship between Hope and Lightning. You guys want it to be more crack-ish or fluffy? I'm leaving it all up to you to help me decide!


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Hey guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter as it gets a tid bit dramatic but hopefully retains that playfulness we all enjoy.

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><p>Hope entered his bedroom carrying a tray with warm soup and some crackers along with a glass of milk. He saw that Lightning was lying on her back on his bed with the covers up to her chin.<br>"Hey Light, here's your lunch," Hope walked up to the bed and he saw Lightning's eyes flutter open and she slowly sat up to sit against the headboard.  
>"Chicken soup I hope," she said, her voice raspy due to it being sore.<br>Lightning had gotten sick the day before, a flu that was spreading around the town and while Hope seemed to be immune to it Lightning had not been so lucky. Sore throat, as well as mucus build up in her chest making it hard to breath or raise her voice past a certain point, terrible coughing fits that made her feel as if she was about to cough out her lungs, and finally the fact her body temperature was through the roof to the point where she was sweating even when she was down to her underwear. It was due to her being sick that Hope refused to let her leave the house, and as a result he had decided to stay home with her. He believed that it was time to return the favor for her helping him out in the past, as well as spending a great deal of money on him at the mall a few weeks before.  
>Hope gently set the tray down on Lightning's lap, "Of course, just the way you asked for it too." Lightning had insisted on having fresh ingredients in the soup, saying she had a preferred taste that Hope found odd but he let it go. He didn't want to rile up the woman who could easily whoop him even when she was not a hundred percent.<br>Taking the spoon in her hand, Lightning began to eat the food Hope had labored to make for her, keeping her eyes closed and taking a quick breath between each spoonful. Hope noticed that Lightning's face was still a deep shade of red, and he put his hand to her forehead. This caused Lightning to stop abruptly, and the look on her face was one of annoyance, "I'm sure I'm still as hot as I was this morning, Hope, don't act like a parent to me."  
>'Still acting like a snot...' "Just trying to help, Light, take it easy," Hope said, pulling his hand from her forehead. Lightning had been really agitated this morning before Hope had noticed that something was wrong with her. The first warning sign came when she woke up late, the second and most evident one was just before Hope walked out the door Lightning was right behind him and she suddenly collapsed on him. In a rather familiar predicament, Hope had found his face meeting with Lightning's chest and since it had been a thin tight shirt there was really nothing left to the imagination about how soft she was in that area. He dragged her back to her bed and called in sick for her, and after much thought he decided to stay home as well. He could miss a couple of days of school to help her out.<br>Of course, that was the easiest part of his day so far.  
>"By the way, thanks for earlier. I would have strangled myself trying to undress," Lightning said, and Hope had to sigh as he remembered the awkwardness he had to endure when he helped Lightning change into her night-clothes. Of course, he had seen her naked before so it was nothing new to him, though back then he wasn't mere inches from her as he literally had to be right next to her to help her.<br>Oh, and that he knew that she was not wearing much of anything under the covers was not forgotten on his part, though he was not too happy knowing that. "Alright, need anything else?"  
>Lightning set the bowl back down onto the tray, having just slurped the juice out of it. Even Hope was surprised at how fast she ate the soup. "I think I'm going to take a bath, think you can manage helping me get to the tub?" Hope noted that she tried to be a little teasing in her tone, but he wasn't amused.<br>"Quit that, would you. Anyway, yes I'll help you to the tub. I'll fill it first, you wait here," he replied, quickly leaving the room.  
>Lightning smirked, knowing she had just got under her friend's skin, but she put her hands to her chest as she felt another rough coughing fit over come her. Quite painful and the fact she had suffered the night before, coughing and hacking all nite long and she didn't get any sleep at all meant that she was drowsy. She was fighting to stay awake, she didn't like the idea of sleeping in all the time. She'd never be able to sleep at night if that were to happen. So the idea of taking a hot bath sounded like an easy way to relax, and while it didn't make much sense to everyone, to Lightning it made perfect sense.<br>It took Hope five minutes to ready the bath tub, another two to get Lightning to the tub. He walked her there since he was secretly afraid she'd collapse without warning like she had this morning. Lightning was leaning on the sink as Hope checked the water one last time, "Take your time, I'll be cleaning the bed sheets for you, so try to take your time. And one last thing, don't fall asleep in there-"  
>Hope almost died right then and there as Lightning pulled her shirt over her head, her bare back to him but as his eyes couldn't help noticing that the curves of her breasts could be seen from the sides. He shook his head to try to lose the sight but found the temptation too powerful for him. The thoughts from this morning also ran like race cars through his mind.<br>Lightning didn't notice Hope's reaction, and if she did she didn't appear bothered by it, "Oh Hope, your concern is touching, but I'll be alright," Lightning said, tossing the shirt back over her shoulder. The cloth hit Hope's face, and he sighed again, feeling a small amount of déjà vu itching his brain. After tossing her shirt to the floor he started to leave but Lightning stopped him by grabbing his arm, then she put her arms around him before pulling him to her. His back was pressed against her chest, and Hope's cheeks were as hot as the water in the tub, "Cute as ever, Hope."  
>"Please, just take a bath," his tone sounded serious and stern. The boy didn't know what to do with this woman, and while he doubt he ever would now he didn't want to deal with this. He had dealt with it for quite a while now and while he ignored it largely now he didn't want to deal with it.<br>Almost like she was reading his mind, Lightning backed off, removing herself from the boy and going over to the tub, "Aw Hope, why so serious?"  
>The shutting of the door came as her only answer.<br>Hope went right back to his room immediately wanted to throw himself onto his bed but had to refrain at the last second since Lightning had left her tray where she had sat earlier. He instead went over to his book shelf and slammed a book to the wooden floor instead. He didn't understand why he was so frustrated with Lightning suddenly, "Guess its because of the fact that she has been acting all clingy as of late." That was what Hope had decided was the reason. Ever since Valentine's Day... Hope slapped his forehead, remembering how he had given that teddy bear to her. It had originally been from Vanille, but due to the heinous circumstances they were in at the time he had given the bear to Lightning. The fact that the bear had come from Vanille had not appeared to bother Lightning in the slightest, she slept with it all the time, most of the time Hope found it on her pillow.  
>The boy picked up his books and placed them back on the shelf, and took the tray from the bed and went to take it downstairs.<p>

Lightning got into the tub extremely slow, her skin feeling like it was being stabbed by a thousand needles as it made contact with the water. She felt worse than any word she could describe, and she had used up most of her resolve to not let Hope know that. She preferred he not have any ammunition to use against her when she was crabby, her pride refusing to let the younger teen win her over.  
>She slid into the tub, putting her knees up to accommodate her long legs, and placed her arms at her sides under the water. Leaning her head back, Lightning took a deep breath just before a yawn came out of her mouth. She was tired, having had a lack of sleep the previous night and despite taking a small nap around noon she was still exausted to be hell. 'Just remember to not fall asleep...' Hope's words ran through her mind, and Lightning took it seriously. If she fell asleep in the tub she'd more than likely drown, though in retrospect the odds of that happening were slim to none as long as she was awake.<p>

Hope had finished sorting and folding laundry withing twenty minutes of starting. Normally Lightning did it but since she was taking her bath he felt the need to do it. He'd done all the chores she would normally do, and now he almost had the entire afternoon off. But he didn't feel the want to do much of anything.  
>"Well, better get these clothes upstairs and put them away," the boy said, standing up with the basket in his hands and went on up the stairs. He went into his room first and dropped the clothes basket in front of his dresser. He went on back to the hallway before he made his way to the bathroom.<br>Which he found was way too quiet. Lightning had been in there for quite a while, and since she didn't holler for Hope to help her out of the tub got him a tid bit worried.  
>Knocking first, Hope said Lightning's name, then knocked again, "Light? You alright?"<br>She didn't respond, and he instantly opened the door, and he found that Lightning's face was below the water!  
>"Dammit!" Panic overcame Hope as he moved to action. Hope moved quickly, sending his hands into the water to grab Lightning's arms and pull her out of the tub. He struggled slightly as she was heavier than he had thought, but he was able to get her onto the titled floor on her back, taking a great deal of water with them. All the while he came to a very grim reality.<br>Lightning wasn't breathing.  
>"Light!" He shouted out of panic and fear. His mind began to go in circles as he tried to think of what to do and fast. Lightning wasn't dead...yet, and if Hope did nothing she would be.<br>Then he remembered what to do in situations like this, something he learned in gym class.  
>Placing both of his hands on top of each other in the center of Lightning's chest and pressed down. He did this multiple times within a few seconds at a frantic pace.<br>Then, he saw the fruits of his labor came to life. Lightning's back arched and she started to cough up water. She moved to her side and spit out the water that she had swallowed and struggled to breath. Hope, while relieved that his friend was not in the afterlife, still patted her on the back to help with the process.  
>"Light-"<br>The older teen rolled back onto her back, running her hands over her face as she began to get her breath back, "Hope...dammit, sorry about that..." Her tone showed that rare sincerity that Hope never really saw, and as much as he wanted to berate Lightning for falling asleep as well as much as he wanted to say 'I told you so', he was just glad he had gotten to her in time.  
>Lightning sat up on her elbows, grabbing the robe that she liked to wear and putting it on before she turned to Hope, "Thanks kiddo..."<br>Hope nodded once, taking a big breath in relief. He didn't notice that Lightning began to move, attempting to stand up on her shaky legs. Hope moved like a flash of light and grabbed Lightning by her side, attempting to balance her out. Lightning, somewhat incredulous about what Hope was doing, but not really feeling like asking him, accepted his help by putting her arm around his shoulders.  
>Hope led Lightning back to the bedroom and helped her get in. He didn't even bother saying anything about her state of dress even after she took the robe off and used it as a towel. She tossed that near the door and settled into bed, and Hope helped tuck her in like a parent to a child.<br>"Thanks again, Hope," Lightning said, laying down in the bed.  
>Again Hope nodded his head, "You're pretty lucky Light. If I had been any later-"<br>Lightning put a hand up, "Hush, little boy. I'm not even gonna attempt to think about that scenario."  
>Hope shrugged, "Just be more careful next time, I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you-" Hope stopped right then and there, hoping to not finish whatever he was trying to say.<br>Lightning's expression varied in a few split seconds. She went wide-eyed at what Hope had said, then her eyes narrowed and she got a sly grin as she sat up holding the covered to her naked chest, "Oh Hope...you're so sweet."  
>Feeling his cheeks grow red and not liking the predicament he now found himself in, Hope quickly turned tail and ran out of the room.<br>Lightning giggled lightly and she laid back down in the bed, closing her eyes. "Hope...I wouldn't be able to bear this life of mine without you around."

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><p>AN: Well, that's another chapter out. Just want to know if you guys want this to continue I will need to have hints as to what direction the story can take. I'll keep writing it as long as I can get good ideas! Until next time!


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Personal thanks to the songs '_Solitary_ _Man_' and '_Pretending_' by HIM, as well as '_Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go away)_' by Motley Crue.

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><p>"I'll be right back out, Hope, you stay there," Lightning said, closing the door behind her.<p>

The boy went and sat outside the changing room, sitting at a bench and waiting for Lightning to come back out. With what happened at the cafe, Hope couldn't exactly bring himself to complain. This wasn't the first time in his life that Lightning had dragged him with her shopping, in fact he found himself more at ease with his situation since it was pretty familiar to him.

Of course, he wouldn't say that how they got here was his fault to begin with. He had gone to see Lightning at her new workplace, the place called Nora's Cafe. The manager named Lebreau had hired Lightning as part of a part time gig and the woman jumped to it at the drop of a hat. Coincidentally, Hope had just gotten off school and went to get a refreshment before heading home, and he had no idea about Lightning's change in jobs. Seriously, she was a cab driver at one point that he could remember... Anyway, in the end, Hope was shocked to see Lightning serving his table (what a change of pace, eh?).

Then it happened...

_Hope would have asked his normal question of asking what Lightning was doing working at a cafe, but instead he had been distracted with what she was wearing. A short frilly skirt with white and pink stripped long stockings that went up to her knees, then she wore a thin blouse of some sorts that was only able to cover the upper half of her torso, along with a hat with a purple cat emblem on it. Topping ti off, she wore high-heels that made her a couple inches taller. To make it all the more unreal to him was Lightning's expression, a mixture of terror and embarrassment. Terror at seeing Hope seeing her like that and the fact that it was Hope seeing her in such a ridiculous outfit._

_Needless to say, Hope's reaction changed from shock to almost laughing his ass off, and he would have had he not been in public. As mean as it was to say though, it was a change of pace to see Lightning all flustered. Though in all fairness he did feel a little sorry for her. Just a little._

_Lightning had to ask from with clenched teeth, "Hello, welcome to Lebreau's, how may I take your order...", and Hope had to try and hide his smile from Lightning, lest she drop what she was doing and pummel him right then and there._

_Hope had asked for a strawberry shake. Lightning had jotted that down on her pad of paper, saying it would take a few minutes to get it ready, and she walked off._

_She came back not too long after, and Hope noticed that she was shaking as she handed him his shake. This made him feel even worse for how he had felt when he first saw her there. So, after she left he decided to make it up to her by leaving a large tip. That made him smile, and made him feel better, knowing that Lightning would probably like it as well._

_He finished his shake quickly to further avoid embarrassing her, he left his money on the table, which also included the tip the last of his allowance. Lightning accepted the money for the shake, but only took a dollar of the tip, saying the 'little boy should keep his money'. Of course, Hope thought, knowing Lightning was too stubborn to accept money in a charitable way. He accepted what she said and got up to leave, surprised to know nothing had happened to either of them except for an embarrassed Lightning-_

_However, the last thing Hope expected was to be knocked over as he was about to leave. One can pretty much guess what happened next. Lightning was right in front of him when he fell forward, and they both crashed onto a table, it collapsed to the floor and everything that was on it spilled onto Lightning, ruining her uniform as well as pissing her off. Then, as Hope was about to apologize, Lightning grabbed him by the collar of his t-shirt and smiled deviously at him._

_"On second thought, that tip will come in handy...as well as the allowance you'll get for the rest of the month..."_

_Hope gulped when he found this bit out, and he could only think of what she possibly meant._

So, because of an accident, he lost all the money he'd get for the next month shopping for new clothes for Lightning. '_Whatever_', Hope thought, standing outside the dressing room. "I'm just glad we didn't have to pay for the table."_  
><em>  
>"What'd you say, little boy?" He heard Lightning say, and Hope sighed aloud.<p>

"Nothing. You almost ready?"

"Whose almost ready?"

The voice came from behind Hope and he didn't even want to turn to face her.

Lightning had stopped from changing when she heard the evil woman's voice. She really wanted to go out there and slap her around for even being around Hope, but as far as Lightning knew Vanille didn't know she was in the dressing room. So, now was as good a time as ever to do a little eavesdropping.

She could hear from the other side of the door, and Hope was talking. "Vanille, what are you doing here?" His tone was not a very polite one, like the thoughts of the night Vanille revealed her true nature still rang clear even weeks after it had happened.

Vanille, however, didn't seem too afraid. "You know Hope, I really do like you."

This time Lightning opened the door quietly and just a crack to see what was going on. Hope turned around, "You sure you're telling the truth this time? Because if you are it doesn't sound like it."

Vanille placed her purse on the floor, "I mean it, what I said that night I didn't mean. I'm sorry."

"Then about your old boyfriend? What about him? Last I heard he skipped town to avoid you, so there goes your revenge. Now what will you do? Play with me some more to get back at Lightning?"

That was unexpected, Lightning thought, listening more intently now that Hope had brought her up. The little boy was beginning to sound tough.

"Lightning? Why would I go after her? Why would you think that?" Vanille knew what game Hope tried to play but she knew how to get out of it.

"Lightning was the one who exposed your plan, and you're thinking she'll steal me away from you if you don't stop her," Hope said, not backing down from Vanille.

"What's that mean? You think she likes you? Hah, she's just using you to run from her own troubles. Her sister got married you know? Got the perfect guy and moved away, leaving her alone. She's so alone that she went for the first guy that piqued her interest. So, too bad for you, she doesn't love you, just keeping you company until she moved on. There's a word for that kind of woman you know-"

"Leave her alone!"

Vanille was on the winning side now, and Lightning felt the urge to run out and attack her stronger than ever but she managed to refrain from it, at least until she heard Hope's response.

Hope's fists were tightly clenched and shaking, "At least...at least she treats me better than you ever did. And even if she were to leave tomorrow, I wouldn't forget her, nor would I let her go easily."

Lightning felt her heart go light as a feather. She knew Hope meant every word he had just said, and now not only was he on the winning side, he had hit a home run and went with it. The look on Vanille's face alone gave away the result. The woman looked as if she had been socked in the face, she was finally beaten.

"So, you like her that much, huh," Vanille reached down for her purse, picking it up with shaking hands out of anger. "I came to say I'm sorry, but it seems I dug myself a bigger hole. Fine. Hope, you can go and die for all I care...as well as your whore of a girlfriend!"

Lightning closed the door quietly, resting her head against the wood. She wasn't sure how to handle this now. Vanille had forced Hope to confess his feelings for her out in public for the whole world to hear, but the boy had proved more than that. He didn't let Vanille push him into a corner and he fought back.

After Vanille turned heel and ran off, Hope still didn't move until he was sure Vanille was out of sight. He then went and sat down on the bench next to the dressing room, resting his head in his hands. He wasn't sure whether to cry or smile. He didn't know what to feel at the moment, he just shut out everything. He didn't register anything until he felt a pair of soft gentle hands place his head on a shoulder. Opening his eyes, he saw the pink locks of Lightning's hair cover his reddening cheeks.

He heard her whisper as she cradled his head in her embrace, her words the most heartfelt he had ever heard from her, "You did great Hope...I'm proud of you...and thank you."

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><p><strong>AN:** Drama...wow, that was pretty intense. I know some of you wondered whether Vanille would come back, Well, I'm pleased to say that this might just be the last time you see her in this story. But onto the next question: How many more chapters until this story ends? Two or three. I will say that writing this story has been a great experience and hope that you all sincerely enjoyed the journey, because we're entering the final stretch!


	15. Chapter 14

Hope hadn't seen Vanille since the incident in the mall. He was almost glad that she was gone, and felt little to no remorse about it. He felt like a jerk, but only a teeny bit, since he'd come to the conclusion that she deserved it. But still...one of his oldest and closest friends was gone, probably forever. How can he not be upset over that, even if she had used him the way she had?

It was because of his outburst at the mall that he became the talk of the school, and it made him more tense than normal. People would try and talk details out of him about what happened. He'd try to ignore them, but it became more persistent and it was times like that he wish he had Lightning around to save him from yelling.

Speaking of Lightning...

Ever since the mall. Hope noticed the woman becoming even friendlier towards him. For the three days after Vanille left, Lightning began to do things she never did before. The morning after she made him breakfast, eggs and sausages made just the way he wanted it (hard egg and medium cooked sausage). Then, she took the liberty of telling the school that he was going to be home all day, something about emotional trauma. Normally Hope would have argued over missing school, but the whole incident had wracked his mind and he was in no mood to try. Lightning also took over his homework duties, which Hope had to object to. He didn't want Lightning to get his grades for him, so he did that himself.

In all, Hope took three days off from school and didn't leave the house. In fact he seldom left his room.

Like he was right now, sitting at his computer desk with his head in his hands, still not in the mood to get out and move. However, he knew that he'd have to get going and move on with his life. He just needed time, and Lightning seemed more than happy to give him all that and more.

"Lightning...heh, sometimes I think she'll spoil me to death," Hope thought as he stood up in his chair. He truly didn't deserve her in his life, but it was all because of her that he was having a better than normal life, even with all the negatives involved.

Hope felt a growl coming from his stomach, and getting an amused smile across his face, the first sort of smile he had had in days, "Well, I forgot about lunch...better find something to eat." He got up and went to his door. Upon walking out of his room he turned to go down the hallway and he stopped as he heard a voice.

"No, I am not going...you know why...oh, THAT'S so sweet of you to offer, but I'm not going to fall for that. You tell her that I don't want to see you, or for the fact, either of you again."

_'That's Lightning...' _Hope thought slowly walking down the stairs listening intentionally to what she was saying. She sounded really upset.

"Listen Snow, it's been a long time I know, but she made her choice and when I had my two cents to say she wouldn't hear it. If she wants to talk, she shouldn't have you call me..."

Hope got to the bottom of the stairs, seeing Lightning with her cell phone to her ear and looking out the front window. She didn't seem to notice him yet.

"Snow, tell Serah that I can't...why? She'd never understand, but good luck in your future. Good bye." She closed her phone and took a deep breath before putting her hands to her face. "All this drama...what a day..."

"I think I can sympathize."

Lightning turned around and to her genuine surprise she saw Hope standing at the bottom of the stairs. "How long have you been standing there?"

Hope shrugged his shoulders, "Long enough to know that I'm not the only one with troubles around here."

The woman threw her pink hair over her right shoulder, "That's too long."

"You want to talk about it?"

Hearing her give an uncharacteristic grunt, Hope didn't receive an answer. Lightning instead bent down and picked up the clothes basket at her feet and set it on the couch to her right. She pulled one of her bras out of it and lowered the straps of the one on her shoulders down. Hope didn't need to be told, and he turned around. He couldn't see her, but he knew from the shadow the light from the window she was by that she was undressing.

"Hope. There are things you need to know, but then there are some things that you don't need to know. This is one of the latter."

The boy put his hands in his short pockets, "Lightning, you've helped me out many times before. Why can't you let help you this time?" He turned around and Lightning was staring right at him with her new bra on, though the straps were off her shoulders, held up only by her left arm under her breasts.

"Because this is something only I can handle, Hope, it's too complicated for someone as young as you to understand."

"And what I have gone through up to this point-with Vanille and all the other crap thrown at me until now-is what everyone goes through at some point? I'm pretty sure I can understand if you just told me-"

"And I'm never gonna tell you," Lightning growled. She was fierce in the eyes, and Hope shivered in fear of Lightning for the first time in his life. She slowly walked up to Hope and he backed up to the stairs, stopping when his ankles met the edge of the first step. "And if you try to discover what I don't want you to know...well, let's just say that I won't be nice if I find out you did."

Lightning slowly moved past him, and Hope lowered his head. Lightning had threatened him. She'd never done that before, not to him at least. _'What she is hiding from me must be very important, but...'_ The boy looked up the stairs as he saw Lightning reach the top of the stairs. She moved slowly but never looked back.

_'I had hoped that, with all the help she had given me since we first met, that she would let me return the favor.'_

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><p>The next day, Lightning had gone shopping and said she'd be back after a few hours. Hope was down into the living room, trying to finish his homework, but found himself distracted. With that one phone call Lightning had yesterday she had been in a more than sour mood, and Hope had managed to tread carefully around her. Not once did he bring it up.<p>

Still...he couldn't help but think about it. What had happened to make her react the way she had? Something terrible surely, but what could it have been? And who was this Snow person she had been talking to? Also...who was Serah?

_'Even if Lightning said no, I still feel inclined to help her out,' _Hope thought, closing his text book and stretching his arms over his head. That is when he heard the doorbell ring. "Wonder who that is?"

He got up and quickly walked over to the door, still wondering who'd be visiting his house at this time of day. He opened the door and a tall man stood there. He was a giant compared to Hope and he felt like he was looking up at a sky scraper. "Um, hello. Can I help you?"

The man had short blond hair, and wore a black overcoat, "Hey there. The name's Snow."

The name instantly clicked within Hope's brain, "So you're Snow. Lightning isn't here."

Snow looked a bit disappointed, "She ran away again?"

"Ran away? What do you mean?"

Snow put his hands on his hips, "I take it she hasn't told you anything."

Hope was confused, "Told me what?"

"That her pregnant sister is due in a couple weeks."

Hope's eyes went wide with shock. _'Well, THERE'S part of her problem!'_ "We need to talk. Now."

And with that, Snow and Hope went back inside.

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><p><strong>AN:** Well, after a bit of thinking (I really want to end this on a good note, that's why it took me so long to get this done) I finally started the final arc of this story. Snow has been introduced, and there's something with Serah and Lightning. Family drama? Dundundun! Stay tuned for the next chapter coming out on September 4th!


	16. Chapter 15

Hope had gotten some soda from the fridge while Snow made himself at home on the couch. He seemed comfortable, but Hope could tell he was troubled.

_Time to get some answers_, the boy thought. "So, when's the big day?"

Snow took off his cap and ran a hand through his blond hair, "Any day now. That's why I came looking for Lightning."

The boy went and sat down on the recliner, and began what he believed would be a tough conversation, but he felt ready. "So, Serah is Lightning's sister?"

The big man nodded once, taking a small drink before setting the soda on the coffee table. "Serah and I married a few months after she graduated. A move that Lightning was totally against. I proposed to Serah on the night she graduated, and Lightning walked in on us when Serah gave her answer. Lightning had fully expected Serah to go to a university and leave me behind, but…"

Hope couldn't imagine what Lightning had to of thought when she found out Serah was pregnant, if she had been upset about the engagement between Serah and Snow and their subsequent marriage, what would she be like after learning she'd be an aunt?

"So, you guys get hitched, and Lightning wants nothing to do with you. Is that it?"

"Serah found out she was pregnant and immediately went to her sister for guidance despite the strain on their relationship, and Lightning wouldn't speak to her. She was still smarting over our marriage, and then she disappeared," Snow finished, taking another drink. He seemed extremely agitated but also sad, and from what Hope knew about him already was that this man wasn't a bad man, he was just doing what he felt was best for Serah.

"Guess that explains why she has been acting strange the past few days, maybe even the reason she started hanging around me," Hope said under his breath, finally understanding what was going on, but one thing still eluded him.

"Why can't Lightning look past all that and be happy that her sister is having a baby?"

Snow chuckled, "Well, Lightning has never been one to admit defeat easily, she fights, as you know. She probably won't be going back to Serah unless she gets rid of me. But, that won't be possible."

Hope felt really bad for Serah now, but he was willing to help as best he could.

"Well, would it help if I tried to convince Lightning? I'm sure she'd at least hear me out," he asked Snow, and the big man almost laughed.

"Listen kid, you may have been around Lightning for the good part of a year, but I'm not sure she would take your words to heart," Snow said, standing up and heading for the door. He reached for the door handle, and he looked back at Hope, "Well, then again, if she'd been around you for that long, maybe she will listen to you. but I'll let you know, when you get to talk to her you'll be in for a fight. Good luck."

And with that, Snow left the house, and Hope began to wonder if he could talk to his female friend about her sister. He wasn't just going to let Lightning ignore her sister in this crisis just because she never got what she wanted. He may not have known Serah, he hadn't even met her, but she was Lightning's sister, he couldn't let this situation deteriorate further.

He'd have to talk—or if brought to it, confront—Lightning.

Lightning returned home from her errands later in the evening, looking exhausted but still appeared with a smile on her face. Hope was in the dining room and was surprised to see him there, but also noticing with slight suspicion that he sat there with nothing else around him. He hadn't been doing homework from what she could tell, it was more like he was waiting for her.

Not too concerned, Lightning took her jacket off and raid the fridge, "How was your day?"

She heard him take a deep breath, but he didn't answer. Lightning grabbed an apple and closed the fridge door. Something was up with Hope, he wasn't very talkative to begin with, but he'd normally say how his day went. Though this morning she had threatened him to stay out of her personal problems, he may have been a bit scared to talk to her now.

"Hey, about this morning, sorry I had to talk like that to you. I've always been a private person, so don't think I hate you, okay?" she said, sincerely trying to apologize.

Hope looked up at her, "Snow stopped here this morning, looking for you."

Lightning's brow went high, "What did he tell you?"

Hope stood up, "Pretty much everything. Why you hate him so much, why you won't see Serah, among other things."

"How do I know you didn't just call him to get the answers you wanted behind my back?" Lightning said, her voice sounding angry, but Hope didn't back down.

"That's not the point. Why can't you just accept that Serah made her own choices and be happy for what she is about to have?"

"Hope, Serah is too young to have a family, and with Snow she won't have a good future. He's not good enough for her."

"That's a load of bull!" Hope shouted. In retrospect he couldn't believe he had said that in front of Lightning and from the looks of it neither did she. "Snow loves Serah, and even though I had just met him and never met Serah, I have a gut feeling that he will do what he has to do in order to provide and care for her. It's just that…he wants Serah's family to be there for them."

Lightning was going angrier, her stance showed that, "I'm going to kick your ass Hope—" but the boy kept going.

"Lightning, here's the gist of what I am trying to say. Sometimes you've just got to move on. You didn't get what you wanted but you have to forget about it. Stop living in the past and look at what's right in front of you. She's going to have a baby, she _needs_ you!"

Straightening her stance, Lightning ran her hands through her hair. She began twisting some loose strands of her hair with her fingers, finding herself, for the first time in her life at a loss. Those last three words echoed in her mind.

'_She needs you!'_

Hope felt he had finally cracked the shell, if not shattered it. Lightning was stubborn, but he hoped that he got to her heart.

_Ring!_

Both Lightning and Hope heard the phone go off, and the boy went and answered it on the start of the second ring, "Hello? Snow? What's wrong? WHAT?"

Lightning raised her head as she saw sweat coming down Hope's forehead as he looked right at her. She still couldn't speak after what happened.

Hope talked a minute or two longer before he hung up, "Serah…she's been taken to the hospital. She could be having the baby sooner than expected!"

Lightning's heart began to beat faster, "What?!" Serah wasn't due for at least another two weeks!

The boy scrambled to gather his jacket and walked past Lightning. She turned around, "Where do you think you're going?"

Running to the door, "Where you won't. I'm going to support Serah. I know I'm not family, but it's better than nothing. You stay if that's what you want."

The woman heard the door open, and then slam with great force. Lightning stood in the kitchen for the longest time, unable to do anything except look up at the ceiling seeming to expect some sort of sign from the heavens.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Well, this is it, two chapters to go! September 25th is when the next chapter will be released!


	17. Chapter 16

Hope made it to the hospital with such a great haste he was sweating and out of breath. He slapped his knee at leaving in such a hurry, but he blamed Lightning for that.

"How she could...turn her back on her sister-no, I'm not here for that," he stopped that thought right then and there. He wasn't going to bring any bad news with him to the hospital; he was going as support for Snow and Serah.

Walking through the doors, Hope was surprised to see Snow standing at the front desk talking with a nurse, "Snow!"

The big man turned and saw him walking in, "A familiar face."

"I got here as fast as I could."

Snow looked past Hope, and the boy knew that he was hoping to see someone else with him. The disappointment on Snow's face confirmed this.

"Is Serah alright?"

Snow managed a little smile, "She is. She thought the baby was coming when I returned home, and I rushed her here in a panic. She's resting now, but from the looks of it she'll be staying the night if she has another burst like that again."

Hope took his jacket off and held it in his arms, "Think it's possible that she could have the baby this soon?"

"I don't know. She's hoping that she can get to term."

Snow and hope were addressed by a nurse, "Mr. Villiers, you can see her now."

The two made their way to the room that Serah was staying, which wasn't too far from the front door. As they made their way there, Hope noticed that they were passing the room where all the babies were put in cribs. There were three or four rows of babies in there. Blue cribs were boys, and pink ones were for girls. Most of them were asleep, and some were crying or moving. Thoughts ran through Hope's mind, since he knew that before long, there would be another baby coming in there.

Hope didn't realize that he had stopped walking until Snow's large hand came down on his shoulder, "You alright?"

"Yeah, let's go."

The two kept on until they reached Serah's room, and she was reading a book of some kind. Hope didn't see what it was as she put it down the moment her husband walked into the room.

"Serah."

Hope came in and was a bit surprised at what he saw. He almost thought Lightning was sitting on the bed in the room, but he saw the pony tail off the side of her head and the angelic smile as she greeted Snow and himself. Her hair was pink, and that was enough to confirm the relation between the two sisters. Hope also noticed her belly; even under the covers it showed the stage of her expectant state. It appeared to be as big as she was.

"Shouldn't you be at home, Snow?"

The big man pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed, and even when sitting he was about eye level with his wife. "You kidding? With you in the hospital and the possibility of having the baby anytime soon, I don't think I'd be able to do anything at home except worry."

Serah gave a small smile, "They want to keep me overnight just to be safe, but-" she saw Hope standing in the doorway and cast him a warm smile, "Hello, you must be Hope, my sister's friend."

The boy came into the room, slightly dragging his feet, "Yeah, sorry we had to meet under less than ideal circumstances."

Serah laughed a little, "Oh, I don't find this odd at all." She turned back to Snow, "She's been kicking quite a bit."

Hope saw Snow's face light up a bit, "Really?" The man slid his hand under the blanket and on his wife's large belly, and as soon as he felt something bump his hand he didn't hide his excitement. "Wow!"

"So the baby's a girl?" Hope asked.

Snow turned to Hope, "That's what Serah believes. We wanted to keep what we would get a surprise, but she insists it's a girl, but from the way it kicks her all the time I say it's a boy. She's quite stubborn sometimes."

"Hey, girls can be tough too," Serah laughed.

Snow pulled his hand away, "Yeah, yeah."

Hope eyed the couple with amazement. They were plenty happy together, and they even seemed perfect for each other. He couldn't help but feel happy for them and what they were going to go through in the years to come.

"Would it be alright if I could...um," Hope asked, pointing to Serah's belly.

Serah looked at Snow, and gave a nod of approval. "Sure. Snow's had our friends do it too, though it seems our child has been rather picky about who feels and who doesn't."

Snow chuckled, "It liked Lebreau quite a bit, but poor Gado didn't get anything."

Hope had to hold back a laugh as he walked to Serah's bed, "I've never done this before so-"

"It's alright; you've been pretty good for us, so you're safe."

Hope reached out for Serah, and she sensed his nervousness and helped guide his hand to her belly. The warmth made Hope flinch at first, but then he waited.

Soon enough, he felt a poke into his palm. Not once, but twice!

'Whoa, so there is a baby in there!' He thought, feeling a bit ashamed of that thought at the same time, but as he had never seen this situation before he let it slide. Hope's face lit up like a Christmas tree, and Serah expressed her happiness by patting the back of his hand.

"I think she likes me too," Hope said, taking a glance at Snow.

Snow nodded, "I was hoping Lightning would be here to experience it as well."

Hope pulled back from Serah, "I tried to get her to see Serah, but she didn't budge."

"Stubborn as her sister," Snow said with a smile directed at his wife.

Serah accepted it, "She'll come. Lightning has a habit of breaking under pressure, though I hope she doesn't feel guilty of it afterward."

Hope shook his head, "Well, I'm not the best person to argue with, I gave her a piece of my mind. I only hope that she makes a beneficial choice."

Serah agreed, running a hand over her belly, "I don't want her to miss this moment. I don't care if she never forgives me, I just want her to see her niece or nephew after the child is born."

Hope could feel the emotions running high in the room. Serah's expression to Snow's silent composition to his own frustration at Lightning for causing it all.

"Don't worry."

The couple looked at Hope.

"If there's a possibility, I'll be sure to drag Lightning here to see the kid." He sounded so sure about it mostly for the Villiers' sake, but as stubborn as Lightning was, Hope didn't like the idea of giving up. Even if Lightning were to kick and punch and scream, he was going to bring her before her sister to see her baby.

Even if she hated him for the rest of his life in forcing her to do so.

"I certainly think she'll listen to you Hope," Snow said, rising from his chair. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder again, and gave it a squeeze, like it was trying to tell him he was confident.

That was when the nurse came into the room and announced that it was time for the little mother to get some rest.

Hope returned home when it was well past dark. There were no lights on when he approached the front door, but when he went through it and into the house he saw the television was on, though the picture was nothing but static.

And on the couch was Lightning, wearing nothing but a tank top and underwear while holding a bottle of wine in her hands. Her face was blank, though she blinked once when Hope said her name.

"Lightning. I'm back."

She moved, and her joints made cracking sounds like she had been still as a statue since he had left hours before. "So, what happened...?"

Hope turned on the dining room light, "False alarm. Serah's gonna be fine, but she's staying the night at the hospital just in case something suddenly pops up. Snow's staying with her."

Lightning didn't appear too concerned, and by the way she was walking so awkwardly Hope had the sneaking suspicion that she was drunk. When she slammed the bottle on the table, he noticed that it was half empty, which seemed to confirm his thoughts.

He went and took the bottle from her, but Lightning jerked it from his grasp, "Hands off. I need this."

"You've never drank before, was my talk with you earlier so bad that you had to resort to it?"

"Shut it Hope. I ran out of soda so this was going to have to do," she was angry, but Hope blamed this on the alcohol.

He wasn't going to put up with her shenanigans nevertheless. He went to the kitchen to look for a snack, peering back to notice his friend chug another drink from the bottle, "You'd better slow down, otherwise you're gonna hurt yourself."

Lightning took a seat at the table, "Ha! Hurt myself...good one little boy."

Hope shut the refrigerator door and walked back to Lightning, snatching the bottle from her hand.

She didn't like that whatsoever. "You'd better give that back."

Hope stepped back as he saw Lightning try to lunge at him, but he easily side swiped her, and she fell flat on her stomach on the carpet. She groaned and Hope stepped over her heading back to the kitchen. "Maybe a hard hangover will help you realize how much of a fool you are making of yourself."

Lightning struggled up to her feet, and stumbled to the kitchen. Hope had put the bottle on the counter, but Lightning fell short and instead fell to the floor. She sat up against the cabinets, nodding off, "You enjoy making me feel like an ass just because my baby sister is about to be a mother and I refuse to see her over a petty squabble?"

Hope sighed, "Can't you just move on and just let bygones be bygones? That's all she wants from you."

Trying her hardest to get to her feet, Lightning used the sink as leverage, "She asks too much. She never knew what she wanted and when I tried to help she went and got knocked up by someone who can barely provide for her. She got herself into this, and now she wants me to help it proves that she is a coward when it comes to the harshness of reality." She grabbed the bottle again, and removed the cork while Hope watched her. She ignored the aggravated look on his face as well as the trembling of his body. His anger had reached the boiling point.

That was the last straw. Hope took the bottle from her hand and slammed it on the kitchen floor off to the side. It shattered into a thousand pieces. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!"

Lightning stared at Hope, pretty much shocked at what had happened. Even in the drunken stupor she was immersed in knew he was serious. The quiet boy she had known for some time was the angriest he had ever been in his life, and she was the cause of it. Not even his anger with Vanille came close to this outburst.

Hope's expression didn't change; his eyes were flared up and appeared to be a wild fire, "You keep blaming your sister, when you should be looking in the mirror! You ever try that?! A coward in the harshness of reality? That sounds a hell of a lot more like you!"

Lightning grabbed Hope by the collar of his shirt and yanked him towards her before she turned him and his back slammed into the edge of the counter. He winced in pain, but Lightning grabbed his chin very hard and held him off the ground a few good inches.

"You've been a pain in my ass over this Hope, and as much as I like you you're asking for an ass kicking."

Hope knew she was serious, but so was he.

"Like I care. As far as I am concerned I don't care what you do to me, just think about what Serah wants right now. When I went to see her in the hospital I had a feeling that she was hoping to see you there with me. In fact, she was counting on me to convince you to come and see her, but, it seems that I've failed her this time, just like you have in the past."

The last words Hope had said made Lightning flinch a little. Her lips twitched and she let him go.

"I'm going to stay with Serah and Snow. It's the least I can do to help them. Whether you want to see her or not doesn't matter. You come and see her child and wish her luck in her future. You do that and you can do whatever you want afterward. Run away if you want. That's what you seem to be best at. Running away from the harshness of reality."

Hope didn't need to say anything more. Lightning had been given the last piece of his mind he was going to share with her. He walked past her, the glass from the bottle cracking under his shoes as he made it to the door and walked out.

Lightning heard everything he had said, and it didn't take long for her to fall to her knees, and she struggled to hold back the tears she wanted to let out.

* * *

><p>AN: Well...the next chapter will be the last. And I will say that it will conclude this story. It's been a long slow trek, but the final chapter is going to be next!


	18. Chapter 17

Hope had decided to stay with Snow and Serah until the whole thing blew over, but when he got to the Villiers home the lights were still off. So he assumed that Snow was still at the hospital.

Sure enough he was still there, pacing like a mad man in the lobby. At first Hope thought something was wrong. His intuition proved almost correct.

"Hey Hope."

The boy looked the bigger man right in the eye, "Lightning isn't coming."

Snow sighed, then went over to a bench in the corner, "Damn." He put his face in his hands. He had held out on her showing up. "Serah had pains again. She might be having contractions."

Hope had a questionable look on his face, "Contractions?"

Snow gave a light chuckle, "It's medical talk that Serah will be having the baby sooner than we had thought."

Hope didn't want to tell him what Lightning had done to herself while he had been away earlier. 'How would I be able to explain that? Yeah, your sister-in-law went and got herself hammered and is now in a pit of despair that even I couldn't seem to pull her out of. Yeah, that would have sounded very reassuring.'

"She's been having all sorts of problems, none serious, but...damn it! I can't just be out here and wait for something big to happen!"

Hope said nothing. He didn't have anything he could say to make the situation any better.

Instead they waited. Waited, and before long it was well past midnight.

That night Hope stayed the night at the hospital waiting room with Snow. Lightning had pissed Hope off to no extent and he wasn't going to talk about her anymore. Snow had been kind to give him the bench, and the big man was passed out in a chair next to Hope.

It was well past three A.M. and nothing had happened yet. Every once in a while a nurse would come out and ask if there was any way she could help the two, but they kindly said they were alright.

But deep down, Snow and Hope had worries.

Snow was about to become a father for the first time in his life and his wife was in pain. Yet he couldn't do much of anything to help.

Hope was even worse. He had promised to bring Lightning back with him and he had failed miserably.

Opening his eyes, Hope starred at the ceiling of the hospital lobby with a mind that was hard with sorrow. He couldn't sleep, not with his mind running about trying to figure out how he was going to apologize to Serah. It was easy for Snow to accept his apology but he was not related by blood to the woman, he didn't understand what Serah felt. He could try, but Hope didn't know either. He was an only child after all.

Hope closed his eyes again, using his arm as a head rest and Snow's large coat as a blanket. Looking at his watch he noticed that it was half past four in the morning. Snow was either resting in the chair or he was actually asleep but he knew that he couldn't be asleep not with all this commotion going on.

"If only Lightning was here," he said, fighting the sandman to the end, and he somehow fell under his spell.

The clock hands went along the face until it was nearly dawn, it was then that Snow had been gently shaken awake by someone. "Serah?"

It was a nurse. "Mr. Villiers? You're wife has-"

He shot straight out of the chair, towering over the nervous woman, "What happened!?"

She began to whisper, not wanting to wake up the boy sleeping on the bench, "She's gone into labor. You will want to come with me."

Snow's eyes went wide, 'The baby's coming? The baby is coming!'

He turned his eyes to Hope, like he was thinking of waking him, but the nurse stopped him. "You're the father, you can join your wife. Only family can be around. I'm sorry."

It hurt Snow a bit to hear that. Hope was almost like family the last few days. A close friend who had helped his wife out when she needed it. He had tried, but he was still here. Snow nodded once, 'Hope would comply, most likely.' He could almost imagine the little guy pushing Snow to the birthing room. "Alright, take me to her."

The two left the room in a hurry.

Hope shifted in his sleep when he got really cold, but he saw the light's reflection on the wall he was facing he knew it was morning. He was still cold, reaching for Snow's coat to cover himself back up.

Someone did it for him, putting the coat up over his shoulder just when he reached for it.

Immediately sitting up, Hope turned to see Lightning standing over him. "Lightning?!"

"Hey kiddo."

The boy scrambled to his feet, "When did you get here?"

"Just now."

Hope noted how terrible she looked. Her hair was all a mess, she had light dark spots under her eyes from lack of sleep most likely, and she still smelled a bit like the alcohol she had been drinking before.

She seemed to know what he was thinking, "I know, I look like crap. I...didn't sleep at all."

Wearing her black overcoat, Hope saw that she was holding a small bouquet of flowers in her right hand. "Those for Serah I assume?"

She lifted the bundle of flowers to her face, "This is nothing but a bribe in my view. Nothing can make up for my attitude in the last year."

"Hey, the apology shouldn't be used on me. I'm not the one you should say you're sorry to-oh crap! Where's Snow?" The boy looked around, not seeing the man in sight and he ran to the main desk and asked where he was.

A nurse came out and led them to where all the action was taking place. There were taken to a secluded room with a one way mirror, with those on the outside looking in. The birthing room had only the doctors, a visibly distraught Serah who was in excruciating pain, and her husband Snow, who was holding one of her hands.

Hope and Lightning stood before the large window, and even though the door was closed they could hear Serah's labored screams of pain. It made Hope uncomfortable, but it made him feel better knowing that Serah was close to bringing her baby into the world.

"She's been in labor for a few hours now. She's a tough woman though, especially for her first time," said one of the nurses to Lightning, who was leaning against the glass.

"Just like her sister," said Hope as he put a hand on Lightning's back.

A heavy sigh came from the woman's mouth, her heart was aching as she saw her baby sister fighting to bring her first born into the world. The tears spilling from her eyes was enough to make Lightning want to cry herself, but her pride refused to let it happen. "It has to be hell for her right now..."

Hope looked in at Serah as she continued then he looked at Lightning. "Maybe seeing you will make her feel better. Why don't you go see her?"

Lightning looked down at Hope, then back in at Serah, "It's not gonna be easy."

"Something's are never easy. But they will never get better unless you do something about them," Hope said, giving her another pat on the back. "You've made it this far. Go to her."

For the first time in a long time, Lightning felt a bit better about this upon hearing his words. She handed him the bouquet, "Hold onto these for me."

Hope gladly did as he was told, and Lightning went to open the door without hesitation.

The door opened, and everyone who wasn't doing anything stopped to look at the newest visitor. Snow had been holding Serah's hand, and he instantly saw Lightning standing in the doorway. Serah's face turned from anguish to a small smile, like she had known her sister would eventually show up.

Snow responded first, "Lightning!"

Closing the door behind her, Lightning made her way to her sister's side, "Hey little mother, how're you holding up?"

Serah smiled, "It hurts sis. It hurts a lot..." She took a quick breath and gave another push.

"C'mon Serah, you're almost there," Snow said, rubbing his wife's hand with his own.

Lightning grabbed her other hand, and immediately felt her sister's vice like grip squeeze her fingers. "I'm here Serah, keep going." She tried to be assuring and caring, unusual traits for one such as Lightning, but she was trying her hardest for the sake of her family.

Hope's pounding of the window with his fist showed that he was rooting for her as well.

Lightning eyes didn't leave her sister's, and Serah finally gave the last one all that her little body could give.

They knew it was over when they heard the cries. The loud cries of a baby was echoing in the room. Serah lifted her head but she fell back down, all her strength was spent.

Snow hadn't moved a muscle. He couldn't. It was like he had been turned to stone upon hearing his child for the first time.

Lightning got the chance to see the baby first. It was squirming as it was cleaned and wrapped up in a blanket by one of the doctors. Serah was helped up in her bed, having the bed propped up to where she could lean back in it. Snow helped wipe the sweat from his wife's forehead while Lightning silently commended her sister's strength.

"Congratulations, it's a beautiful baby girl," said the doctor as he carefully handed the baby to Serah's out stretched arms. She cradled the little child in her arms. Lightning saw the little face looking up at her and she stood up abruptly.

Snow didn't notice her act. "So, it is a girl after all."

Serah smiled again, slowly rocking her daughter in her arms, "I told you so."

Snow chuckled a little, "Yes, you were right."

The two looked at each other, smiling brightly before turning to look at their first child. Snow took a deep breath, looking down at his daughter who was at peace in his wife's arms, "She's got to have your eyes, Serah."

"We'll know soon enough," Serah said.

"Hey, um, guys."

Both the parents looked up at Lightning, who stood straight up beside the bed. She looked very nervous.

"Listen, Serah...Snow...I just wanted to say that...I'm sorry. For everything."

For a few moments there wasn't a sound, not even the baby made a coo, but Snow stood up. "Was that an apology Lightning?"

She sighed, "It was a hell of a lot harder to say than you would think."

Snow smiled, "It's alright, Lightning."

"But..."

Serah shook her head, "Sis, it was a lot easier to get through this with you at my side. The past is behind us. We have a future now. That's all that matters, right?"

Lightning looked at Serah, then at Snow before smiling herself. "Right."

Serah smiled back, "Well, you want to hold your new niece?"

Lightning saw Serah lift the bundle that was her niece up to her, and she nervously took her in her arms. She was lighter than Lightning had expected, so light that she was afraid that she would lose her if she didn't keep a good hold on her. The baby looked up at her new aunt's face, blinked a few times before cooing, as if she was happy to be in her arms.

Lightning didn't know what came over her next. Her eyes welled up with tears. "Dammit..." She tried to hold them back, but they began to flow. The proud and strong Lightning was crying tears of happiness.

Neither Snow nor Serah said anything to acknowledge them.

"So...what's her name?"

Snow looked down at Serah, then to Lightning, "Akari."

Lightning immediately noted the connection, and she loved it, "Light...what a fitting name." She looked at Serah with loving eyes that were still wet from tears spilled, "Congrats."

And from the doorway, a smiling Hope silently agreed.

* * *

><p>AN: This story has been good to me, and to all those who reviewed I apologize for this story taking as long as it did to finish. I won't make any excuses for my lack of activity. I just hope that this chapter makes up for some of my misgivings. The story is mostly over. The only things left to do is the final author note and the Epilogue, which will be out in less than a week. You guys deserve that much. See you then.


	19. Epilogue

The nurses then required that Serah be allowed to rest, and after Lightning reluctantly allowed her niece to be taken away to the nursery she went back to the lobby. She sat down heavily on the couch where Hope had been before. She placed the back of her head against the wall and sighed as she wiped the remains of the tears from her cheeks.

"How did it feel?"

She saw that Hope had returned from the delivery room and sat down next to her.

"How did what feel?"

"You know, finally saying you're sorry? That had to be a big lift off your shoulders, right?"

Though she'd never admit it, Lightning had to agree with the kid. He was right. "I'm not telling."

Hope didn't mind, "that's alright." He knew he was right.

"Hey Hope…"

"Hm?"

Lightning leaned forward, patting the boy on the back, "Thanks, you know, for helping me out."

Hope shook his head as he took in a deep breath, "Don't mention it. I'm just glad it all worked out."

Again, though she had trouble with showing it, Lightning completely agreed.

Four weeks later…

Snow had two big boxes stacked in his arms, blocking his vision and relying on Hope to steer him clear of obstacles. The boy was doing a good job in a way, as there hadn't been an accident.

Snow had only one complaint though, "Light's got some heavy stuff, what is it that she insisted on keeping anyway?"

Hope shrugged his shoulders, "Hell if I know, she just said take what boxes were there. That seemed pretty straight forward, so I didn't ask what was in the boxes."

It was the second day of moving, and Snow was happy to know that Lightning decided to take only a few boxes worth of her things to his house. Soon after reconciling with Serah and Snow, Lightning decided that she wanted to move in with them, so that she wasn't far away when they needed her. Hope had smiled when he heard that bit of news, as did the new family, and felt like lending a hand.

From down the hall, sitting in a rocking chair in the living room, was new mother Serah feeding her daughter Akari a bottle of milk. Though she had been able to leave the hospital Serah still felt weak at times and was thus asked to not help with any physical work. Luckily, Lightning was there to give her a hand with the baby while the guys did all the heavy lifting.

'Speaking of Lightning,' Hope thought as he heard the front door open and close, signaling the arrival of Serah's older sister.

"Sorry that took so long, the market was pretty busy for being a Sunday," she explained, taking off her coat and hanging it on a coat rack. She went into the kitchen to put the groceries away, and tapped Hope on the top of the head so hard he nearly dropped a box with a fragile label on it that he was carrying.

"It's alright sis," Serah said before taking in a light sigh. The poor girl had been up a bit during the night to feed her daughter. Apparently the baby wasn't a heavy sleeper. Lightning admitted that it was her fault, since no one had expected her to come to her sister's house at three A.M. She had gladly stayed up to put Akari back to sleep as an apology that night.

Because of that, Serah was sleepy and wanted to take a nap.

Lightning took notice of her sister's tired complexion, "Hey little mother, go and lay down, I'll take care of her for you."

Serah smiled at the thought, but knew what would happen if she tried to interrupt Akari when she was eating, "You know how she is…"

"Yeah well, if I was pigging out and someone took my plate from under me I'd be pissed too, but this is a mommy emergency, and you need some rest," Lightning said as she offered her arms to Serah.

Serah slowly took the bottle from Akari and sure enough the baby did not like that, as she started to kick her little feet in a fit as best she could. She immediately stopped when Lightning sat down with her in the chair.

Hope had seen the attention Lightning gave Akari on a daily basis ever since she was born, and he more often than not joked about how she would spoil the kid before she was even a month old. Lightning told him to shut it, each time with a smile on her face. She knew that just might happen.

Snow came out of what was now Lightning's new room, "Okay sis, all the boxes are in your room."

Lightning looked up, "Thanks Snow."

Turning to Hope, the big man motioned towards the kitchen, "Thanks for the help Hope. Let's have something to snack on as a sign of victory."

Hope nodded once, "Sure, I'm game."

Snow smiled and started for the kitchen, but Hope remained in place, his eyes returned to Lightning. As he watched her sitting there feeding her niece he couldn't help but remember what she was like before.

_'Hard to believe she was once a rebel who ran from her life and in one event she was turned around and became…a better person_,' Hope thought.

It felt like it was only years ago that he had bumped into this strange girl on his way home from school, caused an accident, and the next thing he knew she had wedged herself into his life and almost took it over. He didn't know why at the time, but eventually he figured it out and in the end, it all turned out well. She had wanted happiness after her life went south, and for awhile she found it with him, but she couldn't outrun her troubles, and they caught up with her and she had to deal with them. Thank the Maker she did, and she came out smelling like roses.

"What are you thinking twerp?"

Hope snapped out of his thought with Lightning's usual teasing, "Nothing big."

She set the bottle on the table next to the rocking chair, placing little Akari up to her shoulder and patting her on the back, "Well, then you better get to the kitchen before Snow eats your snack. That guy has a mean appetite."

From the kitchen Snow hollered, "It isn't mean! I just use too much energy!"

Hope looked at Lightning and when she returned his gaze, both of them started to snicker.

Then Hope remembered something important. "Oh yeah! I forgot about this before. I'll be right back." The boy left for the kitchen while Lightning finally got Akari to let out a burp that surprised even her. She giggled as Hope came back into the room holding a bottle in his hand. He lent it out to her and she took it with her free arm.

On the small white bottle it read 'Bodhum Chocolate Milk'.

Lightning smirked; her eyes going right back to the boy who stood triumphantly before her. Instantly memories of that day came into her mind. So did the memories of the mess that covered her that day as well.

"I know it's a like a long time ago, but I do recall you saying I owed you one, so there you go."

If she had not been holding a baby Lightning would have started after Hope and give him a playful beating, but she lost this round. Instead she just smiled, "You little shit."

Hope smiled.

_**THE**____**END**_

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><p>AN: So, that's it huh…the story is finally over. Can't say I didn't enjoy doing this, the only disappointment for me in this whole thing was that there was never a real storyline. I blame the pressure of keeping others happy when the story should have been consistent. To those who were disappointed I apologize, but as this was the first story I have done to receive such attention I guess I buckled under the pressure. Well, like Abraham Lincoln, learn from your mistakes and hope to never repeat them. Anyway, I'll be looking into what to do next. Thanks to all those who stuck around through the last two years and stayed with the story all the way! Hope you guys keep on reading, it helps a great deal! See you later!


	20. Update: What if

Over two years later and this story is still my most popular. Still can't understand that but if you guys like it i shouldn't complain.

Anyway, since i am officially off my sabbatical of working and being in a depression, I have this nagging feeling and an urge. Which leads to this one question i need answered:

What if I were to re-open this story? Continue it even after it reached the ending? Would you guys want that?

Please decide and I will see what I can come up with!


	21. Chapter 18: Six Months Later

A/N: Its Finally here!

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><p><em>It had all started with a mistake.<em>

_Nearly a year ago I made a small mistake and my world was turned upside down and shaken until it was empty. Soon after that mistake, a girl named Lightning moved into my house against my will. She had taken it upon herself to be my caretaker while my parents went on a very long vacation. They never did tell me where they went, but I was stuck with Lightning and she pretty much drove me up the wall with her weird as hell personality and antics. Still, she proved to be a good person and I eventually got used to her being around. _

_There was another girl that I saw as a close friend named Vanille and it turned out she used me. Lightning forced her out of my life, which turned out for the better despite the trouble she had gotten herself into in the process._

_Then trouble brewed for Lightning herself as her pas, which she wanted to stay buried, t came to the surface and I got involved in it. Her younger sister Serah was having her child and she wanted Lightning to be there with her. She refused, but I remained stubborn and got her to go. The family mended their ties and I was made into a friend of her family._

_That was six months ago, and I thought that with my senior year starting and Lightning graduating that my life would be made a bit simpler._

_Boy was I wrong._

I heard the alarm go off, but I didn't want to get up. Of course I had to, as otherwise I'd be hearing dad stomp up the stairs to warn me of being tardy to school. I shut the alarm off before dad started to come up and dragged my sleepy self out of bed.

I got dressed and washed up in less than ten minutes, despite my battle of making my hair look less spikey than when I woke up, and headed on downstairs to the smell of eggs and ham. Mom was cooking again. Dad was in his chair reading some of his office papers. "Morning everyone. Oh, dad don't you ever sleep?"

Dad shrugged his shoulders, "Just like your mother. I did go to sleep."

Mom sighed as she put a few eggs on what I assumed was my plate, "He only got three hours of sleep."

"Dad, you know very little sleep can cause many problems, right?"

Putting his papers down, Dad started to eat, "I know, but I need to finish this so we can get some more money in."

I sounded a bit more serious, "Lack of sleep can cause major migraines, cluster headaches, and in some cases cause a person to see things and even insanity."

Mom looked impressed, "You learn that in Health Class?"

"I read about it in one of the medical books I was given by a friend." I had decided to choose a career as a doctor soon after Serah had her baby. Snow and Serah had thought it would be a good career for someone as 'studious and serious as you' they said. I didn't take that seriously until I actually thought it would be a good idea. Because when it came down to it, helping others and saving lives is a great mission in life, right?

My parents had been on board for that right from the get-go, thankfully.

I ate quickly, as I didn't want to be late, and after finding my bag I was out the door and on my way to school.

Despite it being December the air wasn't too cold, though I noted I could see my breath the moment I got outside. The school was covered in a paper thin layer of snow from the night before, and I got past the ice on the sidewalk by running through the grass.

The inside was hot enough took my coat off before I set foot through the doors. The place was bustling with life, naturally, but also because the decoration committee was hard at work with the Christmas decorations. Some of them were crazy enough to use tall ladders to hang large yellow stars from the ceiling. A large tree was standing in the middle of the lobby, with fake presents surrounding it. Christmas was only three weeks away and yet the place was all giddy about the holidays. The previous Friday someone left mistletoe over a lot of the doorways to get people to follow that tradition, but I had gone around them with some difficulty. I didn't want to get caught under that thing, given what shenanigans I had gone through in the previous year.

Getting to the first class of the day, I took my seat and got my books out. It started to lightly snow outside and I was glad I had made it when I did.

A hand slammed on my desk, and I shot my head up instantly. It scared the crap out of me and I nearly lost my breath. A friend of mine was standing there, a girl named Alyssa.

"Damn Alyssa, please don't do that."

"Tsk tsk tsk, Mr. Esteim, such language. Do it again and I will have to write a detention for you," she said in her natural tone. Alyssa had moved to Bodhum at the start of the school year, and had gone up the ranks to become the Class President. She gave everyone some form of crap from time to time, but for some odd reason she had a certain thing for me. Don't know how, but I paid it no mind. I had other things to worry about on a daily basis, and her antics were just a refresher from the routine of everyday life.

Her attempt at humor was a refresher nonetheless, "Sorry Alyssa, but I had a rough night," I told her.

"Still studying hard to become a doctor, Hope?"

I nodded, "I plan to go to Eden Academy next fall."

"Well, least you have a plan."

I shrugged my shoulders, still too interested in what I had to do to actually look at her.

"Okay then, I better get to my seat. I'll talk to you later"

I heard her start to walk away, "Oh and sorry again for the remark."

She waved at me and went to her seat. Last thing I needed was a detention. My record was spot free at the moment and a red mark was not something I wanted at the moment.

Getting through classes was always slow going for me, because I just wanted to go home and do what I wanted. I had more studying to do, and then dad needed my help with some things.

I was out the door when the final bell rang, walking by where the buses would normally stop to pick up students. I stopped to look at the various posters lining the wall next to the drop off. None of them showed any interest to me, but I had this philosophy that you never know what will happen so I kept looking.

There was a new one put there recently. A large red and green poster that read:

"For the first time ever, the school will be hosting the first annual 'Christmas Prom'! Any and all students are welcome!"

I raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't think much higher of it after that. Who would go to a party like that?

A smack on my right shoulder brought me back to reality, and sure enough it was Alyssa standing next to me. "You ever tried to say hello when greeting others?"

She replied in a cheery voice, "Nope." Her eyes went to the poster I had been looking at before. "I see they're finally gonna do it. Heard the Festival Committee wanted to revive the concept of holiday themed parties, never thought they'd actually get it done."

Waste of money I thought, but if people wanted to have fun then I would say go ahead and do it. I didn't want to voice my opinion in front of Alyssa. I liked her as a friend and while she got a bit annoying at times, I was able to put up with her as she was friendly. I didn't want to lose another friend. "Sounds like a good concept though."

"Are you planning to go?"

I shook my head, "No. I got too much to do."

Alyssa crossed her arms over her chest, "Well Hope there's actually something I wanted to ask you. I haven't been here long but I do have ears and I hear all sorts of things. Don't think ill of me because of it, okay? "

"What is it?"

"What ever happened to that friend of yours? You know, that pink haired girl you supposedly dated?"

For a few moments I refused to open my mouth. I knew she was talking about Lightning. The girl who had made my life a living hell and made me miserable only for me to return the favor and help her out of the worst situation she had ever been in at that point in her life. I considered us even when I helped her with Serah, and when she moved away I believed that it was the last I would see her. I missed her yes, but she was just a friend. I treated any conversation with her being mentioned as a thing of the past. "I never dated her. She moved away after her sister had her baby. I haven't heard from her in six months."

"So, you never dated her."

"No. She was a good friend, that's all."

The snow started to fall again. "You ever wanted to date her?"

I was starting to get bored of the conversation, not only that but I felt like she was digging too deep. I kept silent.

She seemed disappointed, but her cheerful demeanor returned, "Okay then. Well, you have a nice evening Hope. See you tomorrow!" She ran off back towards the school.

Somehow I knew why she was disappointed. Now I felt like I was a real asshole. I sighed, feeling the need to take a nap. I turned to start walking home to bed—

-And walked right into someone. "Sorry. I didn't…" I blinked a few times and thought I was seeing things. The person before me was wearing a black overcoat, and was a woman. Strands of her hair touched her chest; it was colored pink…Strawberry pink. Her face, like a phantom from long ago, was instantly recognizable. I knew who it was and I couldn't believe it.

My mouth gaped open as she finished her drink, a little bottle of chocolate milk, before looking at me with a familiar smile.

"You didn't spill it this time, Hope."

Déjà vu hit me like a ton of bricks. It was Lightning.

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><p>AN: I wrote the ending to give a bit of a throwback to the first chapter of the original storyline, because i know for a fact that this story has garnered quite a following and i have all my readers to thank for that! I also wrote it in 1st Person as opposed to 3rd because i wanted this story to be a bit different. I'll try to write the next chapter in the future, like a couple weeks or so, but i will be moving to Texas so i might not have the time right away. Stay tuned!


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